PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 08-1331 Released: June 5, 2008 CONSUMER & GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS BUREAU REMINDS DIGITAL WIRELESS HANDSET MANUFACTURERS AND PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICE PROVIDERS OF OBLIGATION TO DESIGNATE AN AGENT FOR HEARING AID COMPATIBILITY ISSUES The Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau reminds public mobile service providers and digital wireless handset manufacturers of their obligation, effective June 6, 2008, to designate an agent for service of informal complaints received by the Federal Communications Commission (“Commission”), as well as notices, inquiries, and orders relating to hearing aid compatibility. On February 28, 2008, the Commission released the 2008 Hearing Aid Compatibility First Report and Order, which modified the Commission’s hearing aid compatibility requirements applicable to providers of public mobile services and manufacturers of digital wireless handsets used in the delivery of those services.1 These modifications include requiring manufacturers and service providers to provide hearing aid compatibility contact information directly to the Commission for posting on the Commission’s website. Specifically, the Commission amended section 68.418 of the hearing aid compatibility rules, 47 C.F.R. § 68.418, to require that manufacturers and service providers designate and identify one or more agents upon whom service may be made of all notices, inquiries, orders, decisions, and other pronouncements of the Commission in any matter before the Commission.2 The regulations further provide that “[s]uch designation shall be provided to the Commission and shall include a name or department designation, business address, telephone number, and, if available, TTY number, facsimile number, and Internet e-mail address.”3 Finally, the regulations require the Commission to make this information available to the public.4 The requirement to designate an agent for hearing aid compatibility becomes effective June 6, 2008.5 Contact information obtained pursuant to the modified hearing aid compatibility rules will be 1 See Amendment of the Commission’s Rules Governing Hearing Aid-Compatible Mobile Handsets, Petition of American National Standards Institute Accredited Standards Committee C63 (EMC) ANSI ASC C63®, WT 07-250, First Report and Order, 23 FCC Rcd 3406 (Feb. 28, 2008) (2008 Hearing Aid Compatibility First Report and Order). 2 47 C.F.R. § 68.418(b). 3 Id. 4 Id. Apart from requiring the provision of contact information directly to the Commission, the new regulations do not otherwise change the procedures for handling complaints alleging a violation of the Commission’s hearing aid compatibility rules. See 2008 Hearing Aid Compatibility First Report and Order, 23 FCC Rcd at 3449, para. 111. 5 The effective date of this requirement is 30 days after publication of the 2008 HAC Report and Order in the Federal Register. See 2008 Hearing Aid Compatibility First Report and Order, 23 FCC Rcd at 3453, para. 128. The 2 made publicly available through the Bureau’s Disability Rights Office (DRO) website.6 The designation required by the 2008 Hearing Aid Compatibility First Report and Order, as noted above, may be sent to the Commission via e-mail to SECTION255_POC@fcc.gov or by mail to: Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., 20554, Attention: Arlene Alexander, Room 3- C408. The full text of this document and related filings will be available for public inspection and copying during regular business hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room CY-A257, Washington, D.C. 20554. These documents may also be purchased from the Commission’s duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc. (BCPI), Portals II, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room CY-B402, Washington, D.C. 20554. Customers may contact BCPI, Inc. at their website: www.bcpiweb.com or call 1-800-378-3160. Filings may also be viewed on the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau’s, Disability Rights Office homepage at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro. To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). This Public Notice can also be downloaded in Word and PDF formats at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/hearing.html. For further information regarding this Public Notice, contact Arlene Alexander, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights Office (202) 418-0581 (voice), (202) 418-0183 (TTY), or e-mail Arlene.Alexander@fcc.gov. -FCC- 2008 Hearing Aid Compatibility First Report and Order was published in the Federal Register on May 7, 2008. See 73 FR 25566 (May 7, 2008). 6 DRO’s website already contains contact information for service providers and manufacturers subject to our section 255 and VoIP rules. See http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/section255_manu.html and http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/service_providers.html; see also 47 C.F.R. § 6.18(b) (requiring entities subject to the requirements of 47 U.S.C. § 255 to designate an agent for service of complaints); IP-Enabled Services; Implementation of Sections 255 and 251(a)(2) of The Communications Act of 1934, as Enacted by The Telecommunications Act of 1996: Access to Telecommunications Service, Telecommunications Equipment and Customer Premises Equipment by Persons with Disabilities; Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to- Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities; The Use of N11 Codes and Other Abbreviated Dialing Arrangements, WC 04-36, WT 96-198, CG 03-123, CC 92-105, Report and Order, 22 FCC Rcd 11275, 11291, at para. 31 (June 15, 2007) (requiring covered manufacturers and interconnected VoIP providers to designate an agent for service of complaints).