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 On Behalf of Industry

November 21, 2005, Washington – Despite challenges, to date the wireless industry has made tremendous progress in satisfying the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) hearing aid compatibility rules. More than 60 wireless devices with M3 or M4 (microphone/radio frequency emissions (RF)) ratings are available on the market, according to a status report ATIS filed late last week on behalf of the industry members of the ATIS Hearing Aid Compatibility Incubator.

Significant challenges remain for the ATIS Incubator and the industry to ensure compatibility testing of devices is accurate and that results provide consistent and meaningful measures for consumers. This is of critical importance, as the industry needs to develop products and services in a short timeframe to comply with an evolving standard.

"The large number of wireless devices that are hearing aid compatible demonstrates the effectiveness of the ATIS Incubator," said Susan Miller, president and CEO of ATIS. “By working together through the Incubator, the wireless carriers, device manufacturers, and representatives of the hard of hearing community are identifying and addressing the technical challenges.”

Work has begun to measure wireless devices for magnetic (T-coil) compatibility in advance of the September 2006 FCC requirements for compatibility with T-coil hearing aid devices. The ATIS Incubator will apply technical review and methodology similar to that used to evaluate RF emissions, applying lessons learned from the past year’s experience.

The ATIS Incubator anticipates that similar issues to those identified in the RF emissions procedure may arise with the interpretation of the C63.19 Standards’ measurement and testing setups for T-coil compatibility, and is committed to recommending updates to the Standard to eliminate any possible discrepancies or misinterpretations.

This is the fourth Status Report filed by AISP.4-HAC. It represents collective inputs from ATIS Incubator members and, pursuant to the FCC’s March 8, 2004, Public Notice, is submitted in lieu of individual status reports from those members.

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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