Manufacturers of wireless handsets that are used in the delivery of digital commercial mobile radio service must file with the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”) FCC Form 655 to report the status of the manufacturer’s compliance with the hearing aid compatible handset requirements in Section 20.19 of the Commission’s Rules. Filers must report information including, but not limited to, the number of handsets tested for hearing aid compliance, the number of compliant handset models offered to service providers, the status of product labeling, and consumer outreach efforts.
Who Must File:
All manufacturers of wireless handsets that are used in the delivery of digital commercial mobile radio service that come within the scope of Section 20.19 of the Commission’s Rules, which consists of:

[P]roviders of digital mobile service in the United States to the extent that they offer terrestrial mobile service that enables two-way real-time voice communications among members of the public or a substantial portion of the public, including both interconnected and non-interconnected VoIP services, and such service is provided over frequencies in the 698 MHz to 6 GHz bands.

Time Period Covered by Report:
The report covers the time period from July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020. Information in the report must be up-to-date as of June 30, 2020. Report Due Date:
The FCC Form 655 must be submitted electronically, via the FCC’s website, and is due by midnight EDT on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

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Attorneys in Kelley Drye & Warren’s Communications Practice Group are experienced in assisting with the preparation and filing of FCC Form 655 hearing aid compatibility status reports, including addressing any issues that may arise. For more information, please contact your current Kelley Drye attorney or any member of the Communications Practice Group.

Reminder: Wireless Handset Manufacturer Hearing Aid Compatibility Status Report Due July 15, 2020