Request for Updated Information and Comment on Wireless Hearing Aid Compatibility Regulations

By this Public Notice, the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (Wireless Bureau) and the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) request updated information to assess whether the FCC’s hearing aid compatibility rules for wireless handsets effectively meet the needs of individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Since the Wireless Bureau last developed the record on these issues in 2012, a number of developments have occurred, including the deployment of LTE networks and LTE only handsets, wider use of and reliance on Wi-Fi calling, increasing consumer demand for data-centric mobile services on wireless devices, and continued growth in the number of wireless-only households. The Wireless Bureau and CGB therefore seek updated information to better understand the current consumer experience, to explore technical or other barriers to the provision of hearing aid compatible devices on new wireless technologies, and to consider recommending changes to the FCC’s rules that may be necessary to ensure that wireless handsets used with advanced communications services are accessible in light of directives contained in the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA). Accordingly, the FCC seeks to refresh the record on two principal issues. First, should the FCC revise the hearing aid compatibility requirement to apply in a technologically neutral way to all mobile wireless devices that can be used for voice communications? Second, should the FCC consider moving away from the fractional compliance regime that exists today and implement a requirement that all mobile wireless devices must comply with the hearing aid compatibility rules?


Request for Updated Information and Comment on Wireless Hearing Aid Compatibility Regulations