TIA and HLAA Work Together to Implement Cordless HAC, TIA 1083
UPED's Cordless Telephone Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) Working Group coordinates activities related to:
- Creation of a TIA standard to test cordless phones for hearing aid compatibility,
- TIA membership in ANSI-ANS C63, and
- Outreach to FCC and disability advocates.
Informal HAC complaints to the FCC have affected nearly all cordless telephone manufacturers and are therefore the area of most concern to UPED at this time. The Cordless Telephone HAC Working Group has provided regular update reports to UPED.
UPED liaisons with representatives of the disabilities advocacy group Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH) and researchers from Gallaudet University. These important efforts have served to highlight the willingness of the cordless telephone industry to identify and resolve HAC issues.
UPED sponsored Engineering Committee TR-41 continues efforts to address the problem of digital cordless telephones creating interference when magnetically coupled to hearing aids. TR-41.3 has developed a measurement procedure for characterizing the undesired magnetic noise and is working with Gallaudet University to establish appropriate performance criteria based on hearing aid users' experiences with various digital cordless telephones.
TIA has applied for organization membership in ANSI-ANS C63. C63 has been working for several years on hearing aid compatibility for wireless phones and on testing for compliance with HAC rules. TIA's goal as a participant in this process is to prevent any occurrence of duplication of standardization efforts in establishing testing procedures for cordless phone HAC compliance.