Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Conditionally Waives Certain Aspects of the Wireless Hearing Aid Compatibility Volume Control Testing Standard

The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau) of the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) recently granted a limited waiver of the Commission's wireless hearing aid compatibility rules with respect to the volume control technical standard that handset manufacturers use in part to certify handsets as hearing aid-compatible under the 2019 ANSI Standard. The Bureau took this step in response to a petition filed by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) seeking waiver of certain aspects of these rules. By conditionally granting the waiver request, the Bureau ensures that handset manufacturers can continue to release new hearing aid- compatible handset models while a new volume control standard is developed that the Commission can adopt into its wireless hearing aid compatibility rules.