Advocacy: Telecommunications


Hearing Aid Compatible Phones

December 11, 2009
FCC Fines Apple, Inc., for Violation of HAC Compatibility Act

On November 30, 2009, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) notified Apple, Inc. . of its failure to file a status report in violation of the wireless handset hearing aid compatibility (HAC) filing requirements. The FCC issued a notice of “Apparent Liability for Forfeiture” in the amount of $5,000 for this violation.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-2507A1.pdf
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-2507A1.txt


Hearing Aid Compatibility Videos: Choosing a Cell Phone That Works For You

The Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (Wireless RERC) and CTIA - The Wireless Association® present Hearing Aid Compatibility: Choosing a Cell Phone That Works For You.

This is a five-part video series to help consumers choose a hearing aid compatible wireless device that meets their needs.  Each video breaks down the information consumers need into easy to understand segments.

The first segment presents information regarding Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) and wireless devices as told by a certified audiologist.

The second segment demonstrates a suggested “try and buy” process between a customer representative and a customer at an actual wireless carrier's retail store.

February 23, 2009


Good News from Cell Phone Companies!

Fellow advocate Janice Schacter from New York City tells us that both AT & T and Verizon now have websites that include listings and explanation of the M (microphone) and T (telecoil) ratings of cell phones they carry.

AT & T
http://www.wireless.att.com/about/disability-resources/hearing-aid-compatibility.jsp

Verizon
http://aboutus.vzw.com/accessibility/products.html

We have also learned that the Motorola website has had information about the M and T ratings for their phones for some time now. That information can be found on the following pages:

For basic information and FAQs about hearing aid compatibility:
http://direct.motorola.com/ens/accessibility/Hearingaid.html

For information about the different Motorola models, including M/T ratings:
http://direct.motorola.com/ens/accessibility/Hearingaid.html

For basic wireless accessibility: http://www.motorola.com/accessibility . The 2 sites above are within this website.

HLAA will update our website as we get more information from manufacturers and service providers. If you don’t see the information you are looking for here, be sure to ask the service provider or manufacturer directly about the phone you want to purchase and ask about their return policy. And remember, try before you buy—that’s the only way to be really sure the product you buy works for you.

Brochure available on purchasing a cell phone (in PDF format).


Captioned Telephones

November 13, 2009
Consumer Advocates Urge Federal Mandate for Captioned Telephone Services
Led by Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), representatives of consumer organizations joined together to support a federal mandate of captioned telephone services. Joining HLAA at the meeting were American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network (DHHCAN), Telecommunications for the Deaf and hard of Hearing (TDI), and via phone, California Coalition of Agencies Serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCASDHH). We met with an FCC representative in FCC Chairman Genachowski's office on November 5.

HLAA and others present pointed out that people with hearing loss who use captioned telephones find them to be almost equivalent to traditional telephones. We have heard from some people that it links them once again to friends and family in a way no other relay service can do. However, HLAA expressed frustration at the current system that is dependant on a patchwork of rules and the vagaries of state budgetary and legislative processes. For example, some states significantly limit the number of captioned phones distributed in state and some states will not allow a consumer to use their phone out of state. Consumers who commute out of state for work, or who travel out of state for vacation are unable to use the phone out of their home state. Consumer representatives requested the FCC initiate and complete a rulemaking to mandate captioned telephone relay service nationwide over the public switched telephone network. Consumer representatives left the meeting feeling encouraged about the possibility of a favorable response from the FCC.

To see our petition filed with the FCC in June, visit
http://www.hearingloss.org/advocacy/pdfs/SupplementtoPetitiontoMandateCaptionedTelephone.pdf

For more information about relay services.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/trs.html

 

June 26, 2009
FCC Seeks to Refresh the Record on Petition to Mandate Captioned Telephone Relay Service (CTS)

Hearing Loss Association of America along with 11 other organizations recently filed a supplement to our 2005 petition requesting the FCC mandate captioned telephones. Captioned phones, such as CapTel, provide people with hearing loss who can use their voice an opportunity to enjoy the use of telephone services in a way that is very nearly the same as those with no hearing loss. We would like to see many consumers add their comments to the proceedings. Watch the HLAA home page for an upcoming action alert on how to file comments in support of mandating captioned telephone services. Or contact the Advocacy Department directly to see what you can do to make captioned telephone service a reality in all 50 states!

Below is the announcement released June 26 by the FCC:

Released: 06/26/2009.
CONSUMER & GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS BUREAU SEEKS TO REFRESH THE RECORD ON PETITION TO MANDATE CAPTIONED TELEPHONE RELAY SERVICE (CTS). (DA No. 09-1436) PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED.

Comments Due: 07/27/2009.
Reply Comments Due: 08/10/2009. CGB .
Contact: Thomas Chandler at (202) 418-1475
email: Thomas.Chandler@fcc.gov
TTY: (202) 418-0597

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-1436A1.doc http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-1436A1.pdf http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-1436A1.txt

 

March 27, 2009
HLAA Position Statement on Captioned Telephones in California

Hearing Loss Association of America recently learned that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) included a provision in its Request for Proposals (RFP) for Captioned Telephone Services (CTS) that would require the CTS Caller Assistant (CA) to inform all of the parties on any CTS relay call (that originates from or terminates in California) of the presence of the CTS CA on the call. This requirement is alleged to assure compliance with California state law that prohibits monitoring, recording, or transcribing of telephone conversations unless all parties to the conversation give their express prior consent or have received notice that such monitoring, recording or transcribing is occurring. Read more at http://www.hearingloss.org/Advocacy/pdfs/HLAA_Statement_on_CaliforniaCap_Tel_Privacy_Issues3-2009.pdf and at http://www.hearingloss.org/Advocacy/pdfs/HLAA_Cap_Tel_FactSheet_4_3_2009.pdf

Television

September 8, 2009
How is your television captioning doing these days?

Hearing Loss Association regularly receives emails from people complaining about television captioning. We’ve hear about delayed captions, captions that appear with letters dropping out, captions that are garbled or otherwise unreadable, and captions that are just plain full of errors. Captions that are not clear and easily read are not acceptable. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has oversight on broadcast, cable and satellite captioning, but they can’t know what’s going on unless we tell them. Make some noise! Inform your provider (your local broadcaster, cable or satellite company) about the problem first to give them a chance to fix it. If they do not solve the problem, be sure to let the FCC know. It’s up to all of us to keep the pressure on. No one else will do it for us.

For more information about filing a complaint with the FCC, see our webpage: http://www.hearingloss.org/advocacy/telecomm.asp#filing

And if you do send in complaints or concerns, feel free to send a copy to us: Advocacy@hearingloss.org Hearing Loss Association of America sits on the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Council (CAC) and on the CAC’s technical working group. We will take your concerns directly to the FCC to let them know that there are still many, many problems with captions that have yet to be resolved.

Captioned TV: What to do if the captions are not working?
Call your TV service or TV station and report the problem. If you do not get satisfaction then the FCC's closed captioning rules require consumers to first complain in writing to their TV distributor, such as your cable or satellite TV service, or to the TV station if you receive television via an over-the-air antenna, before contacting the FCC.
If you are unsatisfied with the TV distributor's response to your complaint, or the TV distributor does not respond within about 45 days, then quickly contact the FCC with all of the complaint information listed above as well as your contact information. You must provide the FCC with full and specific details, including a copy of your original written complaint that you sent to the TV distributor, and their response, if any.
For tips on filing a complaint about captioned TV go to:

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/tips_on_filing_cc_complaint.html

 


Legislation: House Releases 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act for People with Disabilities

HOUSE RELEASES 21ST CENTURY COMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO ACCESSIBILITY ACT FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

On December 21, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives released a draft bill, the long-awaited “Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.”  This proposal is a dramatic and comprehensive step forward for consumers with disabilities. It proposes to amend the Communications Act – the main statute that impacts the telephone and video programming industries – to add new consumer protections that will ensure people with disabilities do not get left out or left behind as telephones and television programming increasingly rely on digital and Internet Protocol (IP) technologies.  The proposals will allow greater numbers of people with disabilities to become independent and productive members of society, as well as to enjoy all the new electronic gadgets and devices that everyone else takes for granted. The bill was introduced as H.R. 3101 in June 2009.

IMMEDIATE ACTION STEPS!!!  To help pass these simple communication fixes that will bring communications into the 21st century for people with disabilities, please send letters as soon as you can to the following House members who are the leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee (the committee that is assigned this bill).  Make sure to ask them for their sponsorship of the legislation:
Rep. Henry A. Waxman, (D-CA), Chairman, House Energy and Commerce Committee, Room 2204 Rayburn House Building, Washington, DC 20515.

Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA), Chairman, House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, Room 2187 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515.

 Ranking Minority Members:
 Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), Room 2109 Rayburn House Building, Washington, DC 20515.
 Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), Room 2370 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515.

Also send letters to your own representatives if they are members of the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, which will review the bill first (this subcommittee is within the full House Committee). Snail mail is preferred.

 Please send copies of your letters to:  COAT, c/o  AAPD, 1629 K Street NW, Suite 503, Washington, DC 20006, attn: J. Simpson.

 Your letter could help make sure that there really is 21st century electronic communication for people with disabilities!

 About COAT:In March 2007, a coalition of disability organizations was launched to advocate for legislative and regulatory safeguards that will ensure full access by people with disabilities to evolving high speed broadband, wireless and other Internet protocol (IP) technologies. Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology" or “COAT,” consists of 30 national and regional organizations dedicated to making sure that as our nation migrates from legacy public switched-based telecommunications to more versatile and innovative IP-based and other communication technologies, people with disabilities will not be left behind. View the press release at http://www.hearingloss.org/docs/COATAnnouncement4.doc.


Legislation: Key Laws that Impact Telecommunications Access for People with Hearing Loss - The Basics You Need to Know

Brenda Battat M.S., HLAA Executive Director
Outline of Workshop

Section 508: Rehabilitation Act

508 Requirements

Requirements Relevant to People with Hearing Loss

508 Resources

508 Addresses Access not Accommodation

508 Enforcement

Federal Government Accountability

Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act 1996

Section 255

Sec 255 General Requirements

Requirements Relevant to People with Hearing Loss

Section 255 Enforcement

Sec 255 Complaints

Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) Act 1988

HAC Requirement

Volume Control Requirement

HAC Requirements for Confined Settings

HAC in the Workplace

Other HAC Act Requirements

What is HAC?

Telecommunications Accessibility Enhancement Act of 1988

Provisions

Telecommunications for the Disabled Act of 1982

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Title I ADA: Workplace

Title II

Title III

Title III: Telephones

Title III: New Construction and Alteration

Title III: Hotels New Construction

Title IV: Telecommunications Relay Services