ATIS Urges Changing Hearing-Aid-Compatible Handset Requirements

The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) called on the FCC to make major changes to its hearing-aid-compatibility (HAC) requirements for wireless handsets, which require that by Feb. 18, 2008, 50 percent of all handsets offered by carriers and manufacturers be rated as suitable for use with hearing aids. Instead, ATIS recommended that carriers and handset makers be required to offer an increasing number of suitable handsets. ATIS also recommended the FCC require more handsets than current rules dictate for use by those with the most severe hearing loss. “If adopted, this proposal will ensure that consumers with hearing loss receive the full benefit of a variety of wireless services while adequately addressing the complexities associated with operating digital handsets and hearing aids together,” ATIS said. “The current 50 percent requirement set forth in… the Commission’s rules present many challenges to providing hearing-aid compatible devices in a technology- neutral manner,” ATIS said: “In addition, the FCC’s existing rules require only a very small number of devices to be compatible with telecoil-equipped hearing aids, generally used by people with severe hearing loss.” ATIS noted that GSM carriers in particular would be hard pressed to meet the 50 percent mandate since the requirement is “either technologically not achievable or only achievable through the development of unmarketable products.” As an alternative to the 50 percent mandate ATIS recommends that the largest carriers be required to offer a minimum of eight HAC-enabled handsets rated M3 or better, or suitable for use with hearing aids, by Feb. 18, 2008. This would ramp up to 10 HAC-enabled handsets by Feb. 18, 2011. At the same time, large carriers would be required to offer more handsets rated T-3 or better, usable by those with severe hearing loss. Under current rules, carriers are required to offer two handset models for each air interface, GSM or CDMA, that offer T3-or-better functionality. Instead, ATIS said, the FCC should require that at least 33 percent of the total number of digital wireless handset models for each interface be rated at T3-or-better by Feb. 18, 2008. Carriers would have to ensure that they offer at least three T-3 rated handsets by Feb. 18, 2008, increasing to 10 by Feb. 18, 2011. ATIS proposes similar changes for handset manufacturers, lowering the mandated levels for M-3 rated handsets but raising it for T-3 rated sets. Under the current requirement, 50 percent of their handsets must meet the M3-or-better rating by Feb. 18, 2008. ATIS proposes lowering the requirement to 33 percent of handsets. But requirements for T-3 sets would be increased -- from a minimum of two per interface to 33 percent of their handset offerings by Feb. 18, 2011.