In a separate action, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted new rules requiring that all mobile phones available on the market be compatible with hearing aid technologies (i.e., hearing aid compatible, or HAC).
According to an FCC press release issued in mid-October announcing the rule change, the new rules are the result of years of extended discussions and collaboration by members of the FCC’s Hearing Aid Compatibility Task Force. Once implemented, the 100 percent HAC requirement will provide an additional 48 million Americans dealing with hearing loss with the flexibility of choosing any model of mobile phone available to the general public.
In addition to the 100 percent HAC requirement, the FCC has also established a Bluetooth coupling requirement that will help to ensure connectivity between mobile handsets and hearing aids. Further, the FCC rules also require that all newly introduced mobile handsets meet volume control requirements that allow users to adjust handset audio volume without introducing distortion.
Mobile handset manufacturers have 24 months to comply with the FCC’s new HAC requirements. Nationwide service providers are given a transition period of 30 months, while non-nationwide service providers have 42 months.
The FCC’s press release announcing the adoption of the new HAC requirements for mobile phones is available at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-406697A1.pdf.
A draft of the FCC’s Report and Order mandating 100 percent HAC compatibility is available at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-405825A1.pdf.
