STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER BRENDAN CARR

Re:	Revisions to Reporting Requirements Governing Hearing Aid-Compatible Mobile Handsets, WT Docket No. 17-228

I am glad that carriers and manufacturers alike are taking steps to ensure all Americans can benefit from next-gen technologies.  For instance, as today’s decision notes, 100% of handsets sold by the four largest wireless carriers are now hearing aid-compatible.  This is up from just a third to two-thirds of phones only a few years ago.  And on the manufacturer side, 93% of devices are now HAC-compliant compared to nearly half that figure in 2010.  

All of this supports today’s decision, which updates and modernizes our approach to ensuring that the public has the right information about hearing aid-compatible devices.  I would like to commend the consumer groups, carriers, and manufacturers who worked together on the consensus proposal.  This decision strikes the right balance between updating our rules to reflect changes in the marketplace while still ensuring the availability of information consumers need to make informed purchasing decisions.  I would also like to acknowledge Commissioner O’Rielly, who has long pushed for greater clarity and reform in this area.

Thank you to the staff of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau for your work on this item.  It has my support.