The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unanimously approved rules requiring all mobile handsets to be compatible with hearing aids, a decision with the potential to liberate device access for 48 million people.

Following a transition period, the rules will give people with hearing loss access to the same mobile phone models available to all consumers, the FCC explained.

The FCC stated the rules were made possible by the collaborative efforts of members of the Hearing Aid Compatibility Task Force, an independent organisation of wireless service providers, handset manufacturers, research institutions and hearing loss advocates.

FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel stated hearing problems are the most common service-connected problem experienced by US military veterans.

“They deserve to have access to a full range of wireless handsets in the marketplace. They deserve to call, connect and live life wirelessly like so many of us do”.

The FCC also established a Bluetooth coupling requirement, ensuring improved universal connectivity between mobile handsets and hearing aids. It aims to achieve this “by encouraging handset manufacturers to move away from proprietary Bluetooth coupling standards”.

Consumers will be notified through point-of-sale labelling explaining if the handset is certified as hearing aid compatible and whether it meets hearing implant or Bluetooth coupling requirements.

The labels will also include information about how high handset volumes can be raised while still meeting control requirements.