FCC Chmn. Powell praised progress on hearing aid compatibility wi...
FCC Chmn. Powell praised progress on hearing aid compatibility with wireless phones, including a meeting Thurs. of the Interagency Committee on Disability Research to promote cooperation among federal agencies on the issue. The Commission in July required digital wireless…
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phones to be compatible with hearing aids, with nationwide operators to offer 2 compliant handsets within 2 years. The agency approved performance levels that required handsets to provide reduced radiofrequency interference as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Analog handsets typically don’t cause interference, but digital handsets can do so for hearing-aid users because of the electromagnetic energy emitted by the antenna or other components. Hailing progress on that issue, Powell cited a technical standards workshop this week, an intergovt. coordination session and a new industry incubator program. “Taken together, these 3 initiatives will significantly advance the Commission’s commitment to ensuring that all Americans -- whether or not they use hearing aids -- have an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of wireless communications,” he said. “Our success in implementing hearing aid compatibility will depend on the cooperative efforts of wireless service providers, wireless phone manufacturers, hearing aid manufacturers, consumer representatives, federal agencies and other stakeholders.” On Wed. the ANSI standards committee C63 held a workshop on the requirements of the group’s technical standard on wireless hearing aid compatibility and new test methods to evaluate a product’s compliance. The new FCC rules cover some of the performance levels in that ANSI standard. The Interagency Committee on Disability Research held a separate workshop Thurs. to promote cooperation among federal agencies, Powell said. The workshop included the Food & Drug Administration, FCC, industry officials and others. Powell also said a meeting is set for today (Fri.) of the Alliance for Telecom Solutions’s Hearing Aid Compatibility Incubator. The point is to bring together officials of the wireless and hearing aid industries to discuss technical issues in implementing digital handset changes under the new FCC rules. “This work is integral to preserving access to wireless telecommunications to individuals with hearing disabilities,” Powell said.