Federal Communications Commission Proposes 100 Percent of Mobile Phones Be Hearing Aid Compatible

The Federal Communications Commission proposed that 100 percent of wireless handsets—namely mobile phones and smartphones—offered for sale in the United States be fully compatible with hearing aids. The FCC is committed to ensuring that all Americans, including those with hearing loss, are able to access communications services on an equal basis. More than 37.5 million Americans live with hearing loss. To address their needs and ensure that consumers with hearing loss can take advantage of the wide array of wireless handsets available on the market, the FCC is proposing a plan to fully implement its long-standing goal of achieving 100% wireless handset model hearing aid compatibility (HAC). The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking tentatively concludes that a 100% HAC requirement for wireless handset models offered or imported for use in the United States is achievable. The FCC will seek comment on adopting a broader definition of HAC that would include the use of Bluetooth connectivity between wireless handsets and hearing aids. The FCC proposes that all wireless handsets have two forms of coupling with hearing aids: 100% must have acoustic coupling and either inductive or Bluetooth coupling.