FCC Amends Existing HAC Order
February 28, 2008: Washington D.C.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expanded the Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) rules to address RF interference reduction and inductive coupling capabilities with hearing aids operating in telecoil mode.
A few of the new changes are:
- Manufacturers and service providers must offer at least two handset models with inductive coupling capability. They must also increase the number of models offered that meet inductive coupling capability standards between now and 2011.
- Provisionally, handsets with Wi-Fi capability that meet the ANSI C63.19 standard are considered compliant. The manual must indicate that the handset has not been rated.
- The version of ANSI C63.19 standard accepted for testing by the commission has been modified
- Devices operating in different frequency bands must meet the requirements in all bands
The FCC is enforcing the rules as they have already issued forfeitures to two companies not complying with the HAC order. Handset manufacturers and service providers were required to make at least two HAC compliant handset models available to the public by September 18, 2006.
For more information click on the link below or contact your CETECOM representative for further details. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280525A1.pdf