The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC), in collaboration with Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP), submitted comments in response to the FCC’s Public Notice, Request for Updated Information And Comment On Wireless Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) Regulations [WT Docket Nos. 07-250 and 10-254]. Released on November 21, 2014, the Public Notice sought insight into the current consumer experience, technical or other barriers to the provision of hearing aid compatible mobile phones, and considerations to amend rules for Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) compliance. The Wireless RERC and CACP reaffirmed the belief that the accessibility of information and communications technology (ICT) and services are essential to enhancing inclusion and independence for people with disabilities. Comments were respectfully based on subject matter expertise developed over the past 14 years: findings from consumer surveys and focus groups, policy research, and development efforts. The comments were also largely informed by analyses of data collected via the Wireless RERC’s hearing aid compatibility (HAC) survey research.
The FCC sought to update the record on two principle issues: (1) Whether the FCC should revise the hearing aid compatibility requirement to apply in a technologically neutral manner to all mobile wireless devices; and (2) Whether the FCC should consider moving away from the fractional compliance benchmarks and implement a requirement that all mobile wireless devices must comply with the hearing aid compatibility rules. The Wireless RERC and CACP addressed both issues with the following assertions:
In closing, the comments acknowledged the difficulty of crafting regulations due to the sometimes competing priorities of industry and consumers and the complexity of interaction between increasingly sophisticated and powerful wireless handsets. Nevertheless, they also maintained that people with hearing loss deserve and are entitled to having parity of access to telecommunications services, wireless, or otherwise.
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The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies is sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under grant number 90RE5007-01-00. The opinions contained in this website are those of the Wireless RERC and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or NIDILRR.