Task Force to Begin Work on Wireless Handset HAC Standard

The Hearing Aid Compatibility Task Force plans its first “formal meeting” this month to begin developing a “consensus-based” standard for recommendation to the FCC that will achieve “100 percent HAC for wireless handsets,” ATIS filed, posted Friday in docket 15-285. The Competitive Carriers Association, CTIA, Hearing Loss Association of America, National Association of the Deaf, Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Telecommunications Industry Association as “joint consensus proposal signatories” picked ATIS to administer the task force last year, it said. Task force members at the first meeting will discuss “leadership structure,” adopt operating procedures and establish groups, said ATIS. Members will “develop a work plan to complete the initial research projects and discuss other projects that are necessary throughout 2020,” it said: “Based on research and technical analysis conducted in 2020, the group will meet throughout 2021" to develop the recommended standard.