STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER AJIT PAI
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
In 1939, when filming the movie Secret Service of the Air, a young actor suffered permanent 
hearing loss when another cast member fired a .38 caliber pistol just six inches from his right ear.  Over 
40 years later, that actor became the first U.S. President to wear a hearing aid while in office.  President 
Ronald Reagan was a powerful advocate for hard-of-hearing individuals.  Indeed, in 1988, he signed the 
Hearing Aid Compatibility Act into law.  That statute, its subsequent amendments, and our rules 
implementing its provisions are all designed to ensure that the tens of millions of Americans with hearing 
loss have access to innovative devices and technologies.
So I am pleased to support today’s action, which seeks to ensure that our hearing aid 
compatibility rules keep pace with changes in technology while promoting the development of new 
innovations for consumers.  We do that in the Order by applying our rules to a broader range of voice 
services.  And we do that in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking by seeking comment on ways we can 
increase the percentage of devices that comply with our rules.  On this score, I commend the efforts of the 
hearing loss community, including Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Hearing 
Loss Association of America, and the National Association of the Deaf, as well as CTIA, CCA, and TIA 
for reaching a consensus path forward.  And I am glad that the Notice seeks comment on implementing 
that approach.
I am also pleased because the Notice does not focus solely on ensuring compliance with a 
particular technical standard.  Instead, it seeks comment on a variety of novel ways that providers could
ensure that their phones function for those with hearing loss, whether that’s through the use of Bluetooth 
or another creative solution.  In this case, what matters most is the end, not the means.
I am also glad that the Notice now seeks comment on whether we should adopt a time limit or 
shot clock for acting on requests for waivers of our hearing aid compatibility rules.  Putting ourselves on 
the clock is a good way to ensure that we stay on time.  If a new, innovative technology simply cannot 
comply with our rules, it is important to give its creator a definitive timeframe for FCC action and thus 
certainty about whether it can be brought to market.  
In a 1983 letter to the director of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, President Reagan 
wrote that he was “pleased to learn that my wearing a hearing aid may help remove the stigma which 
some feel is attached to their use.”  By modernizing our approach to the legislation he signed, we are 
doing our part to help remove barriers that might otherwise prevent those with hearing loss from full 
participation in American life.  I suspect the Gipper would be proud.