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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT  September  4,  2003  Meribeth  McCarrick  (202)  418-  0654 
 STATEMENT  OF  FCC  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL  ON  WIRELESS  HEARING  AID  COMPATIBILITY  PROGRESS 
 Three  important  events  this  week  will  advance  the  Commission’s  goal  of  implementing  hearing  aid  compatibility  with  wireless  phones:  (1)  a  technical  standards  workshop;  (2)  an 
 intergovernmental  coordination  session  and  (3)  a  new  industry  technical  incubator  program. 
 Taken  together,  these  three  initiatives  will  significantly  advance  the  Commission’s  commitment  to  ensuring  that  all  Americans  –  whether  or  not  they  use  hearing  aids  –  have  an 
 opportunity  to  enjoy  the  benefits  of  wireless  communications.  Our  commitment  is  most  recently  illustrated  by  the  Commission’s  decision  to  lift  the  fifteen  year  old  exemption  on  hearing  aid 
 compatibility  for  wireless  phones.  Our  success  in  implementing  hearing  aid  compatibility  will  depend  on  the  cooperative  efforts  of  wireless  service  providers,  wireless  phone  manufacturers, 
 hearing  aid  manufacturers,  consumer  representatives,  federal  agencies,  and  other  stakeholders.  I  am  pleased  with  the  various  efforts  underway  this  week  focusing  on  the  implementation  of  the 
 Commission’s  new  rules  requiring  certain  digital  wireless  phones  to  be  capable  of  effective  use  with  hearing  aids. 


 Yesterday,  September  3,  the  American  National  Standards  Institute  (ANSI)  Accredited  Standards  Committee  C63  sponsored  a  workshop  to  give  participants  an  in-  depth  understanding 
 of  the  requirements  of  the  ANSI  C63.19  technical  standard  governing  wireless  hearing  aid  compatibility,  as  well  as  the  test  methods  used  in  evaluating  a  product’s  compliance.  The  FCC’s 
 rules  on  wireless  hearing  aid  compatibility  incorporate  certain  performance  levels  set  forth  in  this  ANSI  standard. 


 Today,  Thursday,  September  4,  the  Interagency  Committee  on  Disability  Research  (ICDR)  and  its  Technology  Subcommittee  is  sponsoring  a  workshop  to  promote  coordination 
 and  cooperation  among  Federal  departments  and  agencies  on  hearing  aid  compatibility.  This  event  brings  together  prominent  investigators,  federal  agencies  including  the  Food  and  Drug 
 Administration  and  the  FCC,  consumers,  and  industry  representatives. 
 Finally,  the  first  meeting  of  the  Hearing  Aid  Compatibility  Incubator  of  the  Alliance  for  Telecommunications  Solutions  will  take  place  on  Friday.  This  event  will  bring  together 
 representatives  of  the  wireless  and  hearing  aid  industries  to  share  information  and  discuss  technical  issues  associated  with  implementing  changes  to  digital  wireless  phones  in  accordance 
 with  the  Commission’s  new  wireless  hearing  aid  compatibility  rules. 
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 I  support  the  efforts  of  these  organizations  and  the  participants  as  they  work  to  implement  the  Commission’s  wireless  hearing  aid  compatibility  requirements.  This  work  is  integral  to 
 preserving  access  to  wireless  telecommunications  to  individuals  with  hearing  disabilities  –  a  goal  that  will  benefit  us  all. 


 -FCC- 


 For  Further  Details  Regarding  the  Hearing  Aid  Compatibility  Events  This  Week: 
 ANSI  Accredited  Standards  Committee  Workshop:  http://  c63.  ieee.  org/  C63-  19workshop-  030903.  html 


 ICDR:  http://  www.  icdr.  us 
 Hearing  Aid  Compatibility  Incubator  of  the  Alliance  for  Telecommunications  Solutions  Meeting:  http://  www.  atis.  org/  atis/  hac/  meetingdocs.  htm 
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