Hearing and Compatibility Rules

HEARING AID COMPATIBILITY RULES
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
On Wednesday, the FCC addressed the waiver requests filed by 19 non-nationwide wireless carriers seeking relief from certain portions of the FCC's hearing aid compatibility rules. These rules are designed to ensure that persons with hearing disabilities have full access to digital wireless services. In 2003, the FCC required that, by September 16, 2005, non-nationwide wireless carriers must offer at least two wireless handset models for each wireless network technology (e.g., CDMA, GSM) that meet a U3 rating under the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) hearing aid compatibility standard for reduced radio frequency (RF) interference. The FCC also requires that hearing aid-compatible handsets comply with certain labeling requirements. Nineteen non-nationwide carriers filed waiver requests in which they sought extensions of time to comply with the September 16, 2005, deadline, arguing that hearing aid-compatible handsets were not available to them as of that date. The FCC took the following actions: 1) Granted waiver requests of 5 carriers: Dobson Communications, SunCom Wireless, Iowa Wireless, South Slope Wireless, and Virgin Mobile; 2) Granted in part and denied in part waiver requests filed by 5 carriers: Pine Cellular, South Central Utah Telephone Assoc., CC Communications, IT&E Overseas, and UBET Wireless; 3) Denied waiver requests of 6 carriers: XIT Cellular, Blue Sky Communications, CT Cube, WUE, Cellular Phone of Kentucky, and Litchfield County Cellular; and 4) Dismissed as unnecessary waiver requests filed by 3 carriers: Leaco Rural Telephone Cooperative, SLO Cellular, and Entertainment Unlimited. In addition, those wireless carriers to which the FCC did not grant full waivers, and which appear to be currently in violation of the FCC's hearing aid compatibility rules or to have been in violation in the past, were referred to the Enforcement Bureau for further review.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-272268A1.doc