Amateur radio’s RF exposure rules could be in for their first serious federal re-examination in years. On September 17, 2026, two federal agencies opened parallel proceedings touching on RF safety — and while nothing changes for hams today, the comment deadlines land this month.
The FCC opened a public notice focused narrowly on specific RF exposure issues that were remanded to the Commission in 2021 by a U.S. Court of Appeals. The Commission has said it will give particular weight to submissions reflecting specialized expertise in health and safety matters. Separately, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opened a much broader request for information seeking evidence on the potential health effects of electromagnetic fields, RF radiation, and wireless technologies in general.
ARRL is tracking both proceedings. The two inquiries do not alter the current FCC RF exposure rules that apply to radio amateurs — the evaluation procedures and exposure limits in the Commission’s rules remain in force. They could, however, lead to changes in later proceedings if the existing rules are found to be deficient.
For hams, the practical takeaway is twofold. First, the current station evaluation requirements — the same rules that changed for most amateurs in 2021, when the categorical exemption from routine evaluations largely went away — are unaffected. Second, October brings the deadlines: comments on the HHS inquiry are due October 21, and comments on the FCC issues are due October 22.
ARRL’s regulatory coverage is the easiest place to watch both dockets as the deadlines pass. And for stations that have not revisited their exposure calculations since the 2021 rule changes, these proceedings are a useful reminder: RF safety compliance is an ongoing obligation, not a one-time paperwork exercise.
If you hold professional expertise in health, safety, or RF engineering, the FCC in particular is asking for it. Otherwise, the smart move is the usual one: keep your station’s exposure evaluation current, keep your records on file, and watch ARRL’s coverage for what comes next. Regulatory wheels turn slowly — but they do turn.