Additional wireless details
Hearing Aid Compatibility
About Hearing Aid Compatibility
The move of the wireless industry from analog to digital services
has provided some issues of concern for
wireless users with hearing disabilities.
Digital technology can mean an enhanced
wireless experience, but some digital
handset models can cause interference for
hearing aid users.
To ensure accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing to the use
of digital wireless devices, the Federal
Communications Commission ("FCC") made
updates to the Hearing Aid Compatibility ("HAC")
Act of 1988 to increase the number of HAC
compliant wireless devices on the market.
HAC Rating System
The American National Standard Institute ("ANSI") has developed
hearing aid compatibility rating standard
C63.19 to provide assistance to hearing
device users in finding the right digital
wireless device to purchase. Standard
C63.19 provides a uniform method for
measuring the radio frequency ("RF")
immunity and telecoil coupling strength of
hearing aids, as well as the RF emissions
and telecoil coupling strength of wireless
devices. The measurements are converted to
a microphone ("M") rating and a telecoil
("T") rating. Customers can use the ratings
to predict the compatibility of a particular
digital wireless handset and a hearing aid.
M-Ratings:
Wireless devices rated M3 or M4 meet FCC
requirements and are likely to generate less
interference to hearing devices that utilize
a microphone for picking up sounds from the
handset's speaker. M4 is the higher of the
two ratings.
T-Ratings:
Wireless devices rated T3 or T4 meet FCC
requirements and are likely to be more
usable with a hearing device's telecoil
(a/k/a "T Switch" or "Telephone Switch")
than unrated wireless devices. T4 is the
higher of the two ratings. The advantage of
a telecoil is that it removes extraneous
noise that would otherwise be picked up by a
microphone.
Hearing Device Immunity
Hearing devices may also be measured for
immunity to interference.
To learn if a digital wireless handset may
interfere with a particular hearing aid, the
immunity rating of the hearing aid is added
to the rating of the digital handset. A sum
of four would indicate that the telephone is
usable; a sum of five would indicate that
the telephone would provide normal use; and
a sum of six or greater would indicate that
the telephone would provide excellent
performance with that hearing aid.
Levels of Functionality
CWC is consistently looking for ways to
offer a full line up of hearing aid
compliant handsets. In doing so, the
company strives to ensure that its customers
can choose from a diverse array of functions
and capabilities that are similar to the
non-HAC handsets the company sells, and that
each compliant handset is reasonably priced.
The company does this by looking at
available and soon-to-be-available handsets
first to determine whether they are hearing
aid compliant and what ANSI C3.19 standard
they meet. Once verified, the company
also considers the types and combinations of
features it already offers and how the new
handset's features would complement the
company's existing line of products and
whether its customers will continue to
demand those features in the future.
The company also considers the price of the
handsets, taking into consideration the need
of customers at all levels of income,
with per handset pricing ranging from
free to more than $500 per handset.
The levels are: "Basic" which
depicts devices with basic technology such
as speakerphone and voicemail; "Moderate"
which depticts devices with moderate levels
of funchtionality such as SMS messaging,
camera, and internet capability; and "Best"
which depicts devices with higher levels of
functionaity like Data/3G acces, camera &
video, games, access to applications, and
organizer functions.
Cordova Wireless has outlined
all its HAC rated phones below.
|
MANUFACTURER |
MODEL NUMBER |
MODEL NAME |
HAC T RATING |
HAC M RATING |
Functionality Level |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NOKIA |
2760 |
N/A |
N/A |
M3 |
BASIC |
|
NOKIA |
2720 |
|
T3 |
M3 |
BASIC |
|
NOKIA |
C3 |
QWERTY |
T3 |
|
BEST |
|
NOKIA |
7020 |
|
T4 |
M3/M4 |
MODERATE |
|
ALCATEL |
OT-808A |
|
|
M3 |
MODERATE |
|
ALCATEL |
OT-606A |
|
|
M3 |
MODERATE |
|
MOTOROLA |
510 |
|
T3 |
M3 |
BASIC |
|
MOTOROLA |
WX345 |
FINCH |
T4 |
M3 |
BASIC |
|
MOTOROLA |
W270 |
|
|
M3 |
BASIC |
|
MOTOROLA |
V3I |
RAZR |
T3 |
M3 |
MODERATE |
|
PANTECH |
C530 |
SLATE |
T3 |
M3 |
MODERATE |
|
SAMSUNG |
NEXUS S |
|
|
M3 |
BEST |
Wi-fi Capable Handset Discolsure for
HAC Compatible Phones
Wherever CWC provides hearing aid
compatability ratings for a handset model
that incorporates a Wi-fi air interface, the
consumer should note that the handset has
not been rated for hearing aid compatibility
with respect to Wi-fi operation.
|
