The Federal Communications Commission has announced that all mobile phones, including smartphones, in the United States must now be compatible with hearing aids. We also established new rules for volume management and improved product labeling to help hearing aid users make informed purchasing decisions.
The bottom line is that the FCC is establishing Bluetooth pairing requirements that would prevent smartphone manufacturers from using proprietary versions that could limit compatibility. The press release states that this will ensure universal connectivity between mobile phones, hearing aids and commercially available hearing aids. Meanwhile, according to a report by the Hearing Aid Compatibility Task Force, most smartphones do Supporting hearing aids can help fill in the remaining gaps.
Smartphone makers must also meet new volume control benchmarks that allow users to turn up the volume without introducing distortion. The goal is to enable everyone, not just those with severe hearing loss, to hear clearer audio. Finally, companies should also revise their product labels to include information about hearing aid compatibility, telecoil or Bluetooth coupling requirements, and conversation gain – how loud the phone can be while still meeting volume control requirements. .
It will take some time for the new rules to be fully applied. The transition period is 24 months for device manufacturers, 30 months for national service providers, and 42 months for non-national providers. Still, this is consistent with recent public health efforts to improve hearing aid accessibility. Two years ago, the Food and Drug Administration introduced OTC hearing aids to provide an inexpensive option for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
