STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER MIGNON L. CLYBURN
Re: Access to Telecommunication Equipment and Services by Persons with Disabilities, CG 
Docket No. 13-46, Amendment of the Commission’s Rules Governing Hearing Aid-
Compatible Mobile Handsets, WT Docket No. 07-250, Comment Sought on 2010 Review 
of Hearing Aid Compatibility Regulations, WT Docket No. 10-254
I had the privilege, some seven years ago, of watching then-President Barack Obama, 
with the legendary Stevie Wonder by his side, sign into law the Twenty-First Century 
Communications and Video Accessibility Act or CVAA.  I count that moment as one of the 
highlights of my FCC career because it aptly codified this agency’s mission in the 21st Century:  
that regardless of circumstance or ability, every American is as deserving of access to emerging 
advanced technologies as the other.   
In today’s Order, we move a step closer to that goal by requiring the industry to develop a 
standard for volume control that meets the needs of those with hearing loss.  This Report and 
Order will give those that wear hearing aids greater ability to control the volume of the sounds 
they hear when using a wide range of phones – from basic wireline phones, to wireless phones, 
and phones with VoIP and other advanced services.  
Volume control is something most of us take for granted, and given how important it is to me to 
be able to lower the volume on my phone these days, I am pleased to be able to finally say to 
those who have struggled with volume controls for far too long that we are listening and moving 
forward. 
The CVAA and today’s Order are both possible because the commercial mobile industry, 
equipment manufacturers, and accessibility advocates realized that making real progress on 
behalf of 54 million Americans with hearing loss was more important than getting bogged down 
in litigation.  There are a number of communications policy issues and players that could benefit 
by taking note of just how much progress we were able to make in just over seven years by 
collaborating on accessibility issues.    
I want to thank Patrick Webre and his staff in the Consumer and Governmental Affairs 
Bureau for their presentations and the excellent work on this item.