WASHINGTON-Disability advocates have urged federal regulators not to reconsider a mandate that would force wireless carriers to offer hearing-aid compatible mobile phones.
The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association challenged various aspects-including an industry-approved electromagnetic compatibility standard that continues to evolve-of last July’s decision by the Federal Communications Commission. In addition, the trade group wants the FCC to stay the effective date of the rule until the agency acts on challenges.
The ruling-coming after years of heated debate-requires 25 percent of digital handsets offered by national mobile-phone carriers to be hearing-aid compatible by September 2005 and 50 percent by February 2008.
“CTIA routinely tries to shift the responsibility to hearing-aid manufacturers and is looking for ways to minimize what phone handset manufacturers should have to do towards a solution,” said Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Telecommunications for the Deaf and the National Association of the Deaf.
A number of hearing-disabled citizens have written the FCC, urging the commission keep intact the hearing-aid compatibility rule. There are about 6 million hearing-aid wearers in the United States.
Last week, CTIA reiterated its objections in a filing at the FCC.
“While the ANSI [American National Standards Institute] standards-setting process has proven itself to be viable mechanism for achieving joint industry consensus over an extended period of time, CTIA is concerned that the ANSI standard review and revision process, alone, is not conducive for incorporating improvements in a time frame that will permit industry to meet the commission’s September 2005 compliance date,” the trade group stated.
