Info and News

FCC Mandates HAC For Digital Wireless Phones

In a landmark action that will aid the more than 6 million individuals with hearing disabilities, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has moved to eliminate the exemption of certain wireless phones from its hearing aid compatibility (HAC) requirements.

According to a Report and Order adopted this past summer, the FCC will require all digital wireless phone manufacturers to make available within two years HAC-compliant handsets with reduced RF emissions, compatible with the approximately 70-75% of hearing aids that use acoustic coupling technology.  Manufacturers must produce at least two handsets for each “air interface” (i.e., TDMA, CDMA, etc.) it offers. 

Manufacturers will have three years to meet the same production requirements for handsets that are compatible with those hearing aids using telecoil coupling technology (most often used by individuals with profound hearing loss).   

Information on China’s CCC Mark

The Semiconductor Industry Environmental Health & Safety (SEHS) “Grapevine,” an on-line list serve for the industry, reports that information regarding compliance with China’s new CCC Mark requirements is available through the Market Access and Compliance (MAC) site maintained by the U.S. Department of Commerce.  The MAC site, which can be found at www.mac.doc.gov/China/Docs/BusinessGuides/cccguide.htm, reportedly includes links to an unofficial translation of “Announcement 8” regarding exemptions from the CCC Mark requirements, as well as a section of frequently asked questions about the CCC Mark.

IEEE Establishes Product Safety Society

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has announced the formation of the Product Safety Engineering Society (PSES).

According to the IEEE announcement, the new Product Safety Engineering Society will address safety engineering for electrical and electronic equipment used in scientific, industrial and commercial applications, and will provide product safety engineers with a forum in which to exchange technical information with other product safety professionals.

The new IEEE PSES will begin accepting membership for the 2004 membership year, and will join 37 other technical societies sponsored by the IEEE.  Readers can learn more about the new IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society at their web site, http://ewh.ieee.org/soc/pses/.

From The “You Couldn’t Make This Up” Department

The Financial Times reports that SK Telecom, the largest mobile telephone operator in South Korea, has introduced a new service for subscribers that will allow them to use their portable handsets as mosquito repellents. 

According to the report, researchers have determined that certain noises emitted by mobile phones actually succeed in shooing away the pesky pests, so the enterprising phone company is allowing subscribers to download the noise repellant to their handsets for a one-time fee of about $2.50. 

Sung In-Jae, the developer of the download, says that the science behind the noise repellant is that female mosquitoes, that do most of the biting of humans, tend to shun the males of the species.  Therefore, the download emits a sound that is similar to the buzzing of a male mosquito, keeping the biting females clear for distances of up to one meter, according to field tests conducted by the company.    

Unfortunately, the sound is also audible to the human ear, meaning that subscribers who download the noise repellant will be forced to choose between being bitten by mosquitoes or being continuously accompanied by an annoying buzzing sound. 

Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments (ACTA) adopts addendum to TIA-968-A

ACTA adopted TIA-968-A-1 on September 8, 2003. This addendum relaxes some signal power levels and corrects errors in TIA-968-A. More information can be found at http://www.part68.org/news_room.cfm

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