Representative Advisory Committee (RAC)

I still get an occasional question on what exactly is RAC and what does it do. RAC is the Representative Advisory Committee. This committee acts a liaison forum for non-IEEE groups that deal with or are concerned with EMC issues. It provides a link for these organizations to the Board of the IEEE EMC Society.

RAC has sponsored a special session at the last several EMC symposia. For example, during the last two years, RAC special sessions have dealt with wireless issues from certification to SAR and MPE issues. Last year's session was chaired in my absence by my Vice Chair, Steve Berger, and Bill Graff. RAC is currently investigating hosting a session at the next symposium.

Currently the RAC has 13 organizations as part of the group. A few of the groups that are RAC members are shown below:

AAES: The Association of Access Engineering Specialists. This organization was formed under the umbrella of NARTE to deal with the requirements of section 256 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. This organization addresses the access issues of telecommunications for the disabled. Those interested in these issues can obtain more information from the NARTE website.

ACIL EMC: American Council of Independent Laboratories. The ACIL EMC group is made up of EMC Society members who belong to ACIL. The group deals with various EMC issues from the point of view of ACIL members. Information can be obtained from the ACIL web site at www.acil.org

NARTE: The National Association of Radio and Telecommunication Engineers, Inc. is a non-profit organization that specializes in certification. Currently NARTE certifies engineers and technicians in the fields of EMC, ESD Control, Telecommunications, and now Unlicensed Wireless Systems Installers. NARTE recently signed an MOU with the IEEE EMC Society and one with the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). Further information can be obtained from the NARTE web site at www.narte.org.

USCEL: The United States Council of EMC Labs is open to any test lab, manufacturer, or consultant interested in addressing worldwide EMC issues. Originally USCEL's mission was dealing with European Union (EU) issues only, but currently they write technical opinions addressing various EU issues and have addressed non-EU issues. For further information on USCEL, you can check the website www.uscel.org

TCB Council: The Telecommunication Certified Body (TCB) Council is the organization that addresses TCB issues and concerns. The organization has two levels of membership, TCB and Associate members. Full TCB membership is open to any designated TCB. The associate membership is open to any company or entity interested in the TCB program. The council sponsors several training sessions each year conducted by the FCC or the TCB trainers on such topics as spread spectrum testing, SAR testing, and overview of the FCC rules. As an associate member, you can participate in the TCB meetings that generally provide additional chances to meet with the FCC. For information on the council, you can access the web site at www.tcbc.org

RAC will be hosting next year's RAC /SAC luncheon at the 2002 IEEE International Symposium on EMC in Minneapolis. I look forward to seeing you there! EMC