We aim to be the very best homologation consultants serving clients selling electrical, electronic, and telecommunications equipment in Latin America. Top ranked, number one. But sometimes being best means not being first — we don’t want to be “first” if that means getting it wrong.

Case in point: From time to time you may come across a report somewhere on the internet about a new regulation, or changes to an existing regulation. This might cause alarm, prompting you to ask, How will this change affect my product or the certification process?

Problem is, you can’t necessarily rely on this information. While not “fake news” (it’s not intended to deceive), the regulatory development may not be in final form. It may not even ultimately happen at all. That’s because changes to regulations frequently change themselves — and are sometimes cancelled altogether — between the stages of proposal, adoption, and effective date.

We monitor proposed regulatory changes in the LATAM countries we service. But we don’t rush to publish updates until we scrutinize them. A recent example: as part of its new Resolution 715, Brazil’s ANATEL telecommunications agency was going to allow tests reports from other countries to be used in lieu of in-country testing. Big change. Huge.

…Then at the last minute ANATEL decided to maintain the requirement of in-country testing. Unfortunately, some companies delayed applying for product approval thinking they would soon be able to use U.S. or European test reports instead of testing in Brazil. Working off uncertain information, these companies unnecessarily wasted time because ANATEL didn’t end up modifying the testing requirement.

We didn’t alert our clients and readers to this potential change because it was just that: potential change, not necessarily a sure thing. We didn’t want to be “first” to serve up half-baked information, just adding to the confusion (or indigestion).

So if you see notices of regulatory changes that concern you, contact us to confirm the information is solid. Our aim is to be the most reliable, most trustworthy LATAM homologation consultants. We don’t want to be first, if that means getting it wrong.