IP: NPRM Explores Wireless Hearing-Aid Compatibility

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
> NPRM Explores Wireless Hearing-Aid Compatibility
>
> Summary:
>
> FCC commissioners voted to launch a NPRM to explore the issue of 
> hearing-aid compatibility for wireless phones, mirroring what already is 
> in place for landline units. Compatibility exemptions haven't been 
> reviewed for 12 years, and at least one commissioner chided the agency for 
> not following its own five-year guidelines for review. "Wireless telephony 
> -- inaccessible to many people with hearing loss -- continues to grow in 
> importance, providing an essential means for connecting employees, 
> friends, and family members," says Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy. Added 
> Commissioner Michael Copps, "History has shown that incorporating 
> accessibility at the design stage makes good business sense. Industry 
> benefits greatly by making products and services accessible to the 
> broadest range of users."
>
> Full Article:
>
> Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy: Review of Exemptions 'Long Overdue'
>
> I write to give my strong support for today's Notice. It is past time that 
> we evaluate whether it is appropriate to uphold hearing aid compatibility 
> exemptions for public mobile services. Not only is hearing aid 
> accessibility an important issue for many members of the American public, 
> but review of these exemptions is long overdue.
>
> There are more than 28 million Americans with hearing loss. We can only 
> expect that number to increase in future years, because of noise exposure 
> and people living longer lives.1 Thirty percent of people between the age 
> of 65 and 74 experience difficulty hearing.
>
> Moreover, wireless telephony - inaccessible to many people with hearing 
> loss - continues to grow in importance, providing an essential means for 
> connecting employees, friends, and family members. Today roughly 124 
> million Americans use wireless telephones.
>
> Unfortunately, despite countless advances in wireless telephony technology 
> over the past decade, the FCC failed to review mobile services' ability to 
> provide access to Americans with hearing loss. Indeed, it has been twelve 
> years since the Commission has looked at hearing aid accessibility 
> exemptions. This failure to act conflicts with our statutory obligations. 
> Congress, in the Hearing Aid Compatibility Act, mandated that "the 
> Commission shall periodically assess" whether or not it should continue 
> the exemptions.3 It is unlikely that Congress contemplated a 12-year 
> period between assessments. I am disappointed by the fact that over the 
> past decade time and resources were devoted to many discretionary 
> proceedings, while Congress's mandate for a review of hearing aid 
> accessibility exemptions went unanswered.
>
> A critical statutory policy goal is at issue here. Congress provides a 
> clear guide for the Commission's priorities: "a provider of 
> telecommunications service shall ensure that the service is accessible to 
> and usable by individuals with disabilities, if readily achievable."4 
> Congress laid out a policy map for the FCC, yet we have failed to follow 
> the legislators' explicit directives.
>
> Just as troubling is the fact that the Commission ignored its own 
> guidelines. In 1989, the FCC declared that, regardless of technological 
> developments, it would review hearing aid access exemptions at least once 
> every five years.5 Thus, even by our own timetable today's review comes 
> seven years late. Failing to live up to our own commitments undermines our 
> credibility and effectiveness.
>
> I am, therefore, pleased to vote in favor of this Notice of Proposed 
> Rulemaking, and I look forward to a full record on hearing aid 
> compatibility - and a prompt decision by the Commission.
>
> Related Story:
>
> Commissioner Michael Copps: Phones Must be 'Accessible'
>
> I support the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
>
> It is our challenge and responsibility to harness the power of technology 
> for the benefit of all Americans. Congress has told us that we must make 
> communications technologies accessible by people with disabilities. The 
> digital tools of the Information Age are the keys to unlocking the doors 
> of opportunity. We must make sure that those doors are open -- and remain 
> open -- for all Americans, and not locked shut for some, as, 
> unfortunately, they are today in many cases. My goal as an FCC 
> Commissioner is to help bring the best, most accessible, and 
> cost-effective telecommunications system in the world to our people - and 
> I mean all of our people. Each and every American should have access to 
> the wonders of telecommunications.
>
> As we begin this proceeding on hearing aid compatible wireless telephones 
> I want to highlight the strides that the Commission made before I arrived:
>
>     * The Commission wrote new rules to ensure that communications 
> products and services are accessible to those with disabilities, as 
> Congress directed, in Section 255.
>     * The Commission overhauled and updated our Telecommunications Relay 
> Services (TRS) rules to provide for faster, more effective relay services.
>     * The Commission also established 711 for relay services so that 
> consumers will no longer need to remember different TRS numbers and TRS 
> users will be able to put one number on their business cards, thereby 
> making it easier for people to call them. The Commission recently put 
> this into effect.
>     * The Commission took action on captioning to ensure that everyone 
> has access to televised information, including, most importantly, 
> warnings about emergency situations.
>
> Now our new Commission has taken the first step to addressing 
> compatibility problems between wireless phones and hearing aids. As we 
> move forward with this NPRM, I want to recognize the commitment of the 
> wireless industry to serving people with disabilities. Working closely 
> with both manufacturers, service providers, and organizations that 
> represent people with hearing loss will be critical as we move toward an 
> Order. Business plays a critical role by innovating and investing in ways 
> that can make products accessible. History has shown that incorporating 
> accessibility at the design stage makes good business sense. Industry 
> benefits greatly by making products and services accessible to the 
> broadest range of users.
>
> Businesses have committed themselves to this task. A few months ago, over 
> forty chief executives of high-tech and telecommunications companies 
> pledged to develop and market products and services that are accessible to 
> those with disabilities. I commend these companies and urge others to join 
> their efforts to remove barriers to opportunity. We should all work 
> together on this important matter.
>
> The Commission has taken a positive step today, but it is only a 
> beginning. We have so far to go. We must continue to do what we can to 
> ensure that Americans with disabilities are not left behind, as has 
> happened too often in the past. I commend the Wireless Bureau staff for 
> their hard work on this item and hope that we can issue an Order quickly.


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