Money Wise--The Newest Feature for Cell Phones

From: WTOC, GA - Aug 15, 2003

The convenience and clarity of digital wireless phones are great for those of us who have good hearing. But cell phone use can be a nightmare for the six million Americans who use hearing aids. Wireless phones can cause major interference.

Eighty-year-old George DeVilbiss' frustration is shared by millions of Americans, including 50 percent of men 65 and over and 35 percent of women 65 and over, who depend on hearing aids. And try to use a digital cell phone. "Oh, it just makes an awful buzz. You just can't believe how loud it is," said DeVilbiss. "I just feel so frustrated because I can't use the phone."

Digital wireless phones can cause interference to hearing aids and cochlear implants because of electromagnetic energy emitted by the phone's antenna, backlight, or other components. But an FCC ruling requires digital wireless phone manufacturers and service providers to take steps to reduce the amount of interference emitted from the phones.

"What it means for older Americans, especially older Americans with hearing loss, you don't have to give up mobility just because you get a hearing aid," said FCC commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy. "You can have both."

As Dana Mulvany of the group Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People said, "It's really important for hard of hearing people to have the same access to wireless phones as other people do."

The FCC ruling requires digital wireless phone manufacturers and service providers to make the prescribed changes over the next two to three years.

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