
For Immediate Release
ATIS 1200 G Street, NW Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005	Contact: Trish St. Michel Phone: 202-434-8851 E-mail: tstmichel@atis.org www.atis.org

ATIS Files Hearing Aid Compatibility Status Report with FCC

Number of Compliant Wireless Devices Continues to Grow, But FCC Action Needed for Industry to Meet September 2006 T-Coil Deadline

May 18, 2006, Washington – Wireless carriers and manufacturers report that more than 160 wireless devices on the market today are compatible with hearing aids, according to the Status Report ATIS filed Wednesday with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on behalf of the members of the ATIS Incubator Program for Hearing Aid Compatibility (ATIS HAC Incubator).

It is expected that, by the September deadline for T-Coil compatibility, the wireless industry will have a wide range of models compliant with the FCC’s RF emissions and T-Coil hearing aid compatibility requirements as defined in the FCC’s Report and Order in WT Docket No. 01-309.

This expectation is based on two assumptions: (1) the FCC adopts the recently balloted Revision Draft 3.12 (rd 3.12) of the American National Standards for Methods of Measurement between Wireless Communications /Devices and Hearing Aids ANSI C63.19-2001 (C63.19 Standard) in a timely manner; and (2) certification of wireless devices as compliant under rd 3.12 of the Standard occurs in an expeditious manner.

As noted in previous status report filings, the HAC Incubator has engaged in efforts to validate existing revisions and recommend improvements for future releases of the C63.19 Standard. Many of these recommendations were included in the recent standard revisions and are supported by the C63 committee, the HAC Incubator, and consumer advocates. Additional recommendations are being suggested by the HAC Incubator regarding the T-Coil portion of the Standard.

ATIS’ Status Report is submitted in lieu of individual status reports from companies that participate in the HAC Incubator. It includes individual reports on the availability and deployment of HAC wireless devices by 18 wireless service and equipment providers. This Status Report also documents the accomplishments and concerns of the HAC Incubator.

A copy of the Status Report is available online at http://www.atis.org/hac/haclinks.asp.

About ATIS

ATIS is a technical planning and standards development organization that is committed to rapidly developing and promoting technical and operations standards for the communications and related information technologies industry worldwide using a pragmatic, flexible and open approach. Participants from more than 350 communications companies are active in ATIS’ 23 industry committees and Incubator Solutions Program. www.atis.org

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