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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 84 / Tuesday, May 4, 2021 / Rules and Regulations designed to last the expected lifetime of the equipment in the environment in which the equipment may be operated and must not be readily detachable. The Commission also deletes from 68.300
the stated compliance date of April 1, 1997, given the length of time that has passed since that date and given that no one commented on this proposed deletion.

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Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis 52. As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended RFA, an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis IRFA was incorporated in the 2020 ANSI Standard NPRM released in January 2020. The Commission sought written public comment on the proposals in the 2020 ANSI Standard NPRM, including comments on the IRFA. The Commission did not receive comments specifically directed as a response to the IRFA. This present Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis FRFA
conforms to the RFA.
Need for, and Objectives of, the Report and Order 53. In the Report and Order, the Commission incorporates the 2019
ANSI Standard as the exclusive technical standard for evaluating the hearing aid compatibility of wireless handsets. In addition to including a volume control standard as part of the new standard, the 2019 ANSI Standard requires testing that will improve a hearing aid users experience, including those who use cochlear implants. The new standard addresses new technologies and devices operating in the frequency range of 614 MHz to 6
GHz, harmonizes testing methodologies with international standards, and uses a simple set of requirements and thresholds rather than the M/T rating system used by the 2011 ANSI Standard to determine hearing aid compatibility.
The Commission anticipates that using the 2019 ANSI Standard to determine whether a handset is hearing aidcompatible for purposes of the Commissions rules will serve the public interest by establishing standards for new devices and operations over additional frequency bands. New testing methodologies in the 2019 ANSI
Standard should also improve the measurement of potential hearing aid interference. The new standard no longer uses the M/T category system, achieves harmonization with other hearing aid standards, and changes several testing procedures meant to improve the consumer experience and reduce testing burdens.
54. The Report and Order adopts a two-year transition period for
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manufacturers and service providers before requiring the exclusive use of the new standard and aligns the volume control implementation deadline with the end of this two-year transition. The Report and Order allows manufacturers and service providers to continue to meet deployment benchmarks with any handset certified as hearing aidcompatible, regardless of the ANSI
standard that was used for certification purposes. Consistent with the hearing aid-compatibility rule that was in effect prior to adoption of the Report and Order, the new rules: i Require that a handsets package label indicate that the phone is hearing aid compatibility compliant and must provide the handsets amplification capability if the handset is certified using the 2019 ANSI
Standard, including actual conversational gain both with and without hearing aids if the handset is certified using the 2019 ANSI Standard and the handsets volume control capabilities when the handset has been certified using the 2019 ANSI Standard;
ii require that the user manual or package insert display the handsets ANSI rating and include information explaining the change in the hearing aid-compatibility rating system under the new standard; and iii include a prescribed disclosure when a handset meets hearing aid compatibility standards on some of its air interfaces, but not on all of its air interfaces. The Report and Order also maintains the instore testing requirement applicable to service providers so that those with hearing loss have an opportunity to become comfortable with a handset before purchasing it.
55. Finally, the Report and Order streamlines the wireless hearing aid compatibility rules by eliminating unnecessary and outdated provisions.
For example, the Report and Order simplifies the labeling rules to remove the refresh and differing levels of functionality requirements and to delete references to implementation dates and benchmarks that have passed.
Eliminating these references will simplify the rules and make them easier to read and understand. The Report and Order also aligns the definition of permanently affixed to ensure that hearing aid compatibility labeling requirements are consistent for both PSTN telephones and telephonic customer premises equipment used for advanced communications services.
Additionally, the Report and Order moves the compliance filing deadlines from January 15 to January 31 for service providers and from July 15 to July 31 for manufacturers.

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Response to Comments by the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration 56. Pursuant to the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, which amended the RFA, the Commission is required to respond to any comments filed by the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration SBA and to provide a detailed statement of any change made to the proposed rules as a result of those comments.
57. The Chief Counsel did not file comments in response to the proposed rules in this proceeding.
List of Small Entities to Which the Rules Will Apply 58. The rules adopted in this document will affect the following types of small entities:
Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing.
Part 15 Handset Manufacturers.
Wireless Telecommunications Carriers except Satellite.
Wireless Resellers.

Description of Projected Reporting, Recordkeeping, and Other Compliance Requirements for Small Entities 59. The rule changes adopted in the Report and Order may impose some new reporting, recordkeeping, or other compliance requirements on some small entities. The Report and Order adopts the 2019 ANSI Standard as the exclusive technical standard for evaluating if a wireless handset is hearing aid-compatible under the Commissions rules. The new standard reduces the testing burden, uses a simple set of limits rather than the M/T category system for handsets as well as hearing aids, achieves harmonization with other hearing aid standards, and makes some additional test procedure-related changes to improve the consumer experience.
60. The Report and Order replaces the 2011 ANSI Standard with the 2019
ANSI Standard after a two-year transition period. During the transition period, handset models meeting either the 2011 ANSI Standard or 2019 ANSI
Standard will continue to be certified as hearing aid-compatible by handset manufacturers and service providers under the Commissions rules.
Certifications issued before and within the transition period, including certifications under the 2011 ANSI
Standard and any earlier versions of ANSI C63.19, will remain hearing aidcompatible. As a result, manufacturers will not need to retest or recertify existing handset models as hearing aidcompatible. The Report and Order also
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