The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau) has extended the waiver of section 20.19(b) of the FCC’s rules to permit handset manufacturers to continue to use the temporary volume control standard to certify new handset models as hearing aid compatible. The FCC has extended the waiver by two years with a new expiration date of September 29, 2027, unless a new volume control standard becomes effective through Commission action prior to this date. Under this waiver extension, new handset models may continue to be certified as hearing-aid compatible as long as the handset models meet the requirements of the temporary volume control standard as well as other aspects of the 2019 American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard used to certify handset models as hearing aid compatible.
The Bureau also requires CTIA, in coordination with the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), to file two progress reports updating the Bureau on the status of the development of a permanent volume control standard. CTIA indicated in its Petition for Extension of Wavier that TIA is working to develop a permanent volume control standard and has indicated that such development be completed during the second quarter of 2026.
