STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL Re: Amendment of the Commission’s Rules Governing Hearing Aid-Compatible Mobile Handsets, WT Docket No. 07-250; Improvements to Benchmarks and Related Requirements Governing Hearing Aid-Compatible Mobile Handsets, WT Docket No. 15-285 Five years ago last month the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act was signed into law. Five years is a long time. A lot changes—and as the parent of a five-year old I can say that with some authority. Five years ago, tablets were new, 4G service was just beginning, and mobile payments were in their infancy. Five years ago, the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act charged us with extending our hearing aid compatibility rules to a broader range of modern wireless devices. To continue to give meaning to this law, we need to update our approach to reflect the advances of technology. That is what we do today. So I am pleased to support this Order. We expand the scope of our rules and apply them to emerging voice services. This is the right thing to do. After all, consumers with hearing loss do not distinguish between calls delivered over a wireless carrier’s network or Wi-Fi—they simply want the call to go through. They just want to hear a voice on the other side. I also am happy to support this rulemaking. We seek comment on a proposal that will put us on the path to making 100 percent of mobile handsets hearing aid compatible, while continuing to clear the way for more innovation and investment. Kudos to the consumer advocates, wireless carriers, and manufacturers who have put this proposal before us. Your cooperative efforts will help us help millions more with hearing loss gain rightful access to modern wireless services.