Each company is required to submit a hearing aid compatibility report during a specified time frame. This includes each model and the rating it received for hearing aid compatibility, if applicable. The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau suspected inaccuracies leading them to include the Enforcement Bureau for further investigation, which revealed many failures.

How the FCC Discovered Violations

The commission had a base rate of 15,000 US dollars and multiplied that number by the number of hearing aid compatible models that T-Mobile failed to include that would meet compliance. They were short 38 M3 Handsets and 14 T3 Handsets in November of 2009 to December of 2010. Using this equation, the fine was equal to 780,000 US dollars It was further adjusted according to T-Mobile's ability to pay on time to result in a final total of 819,000 US dollars. 

How the FCC Determined the Forfeiture 

The regulations in the telecommunications act claim that carriers must offer a specific number of handset models that follow compatibility standards with hearing aids. There are two modes of hearing aids that handset models must be compatible with: M3 compatibility and T3 compatibility. 

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The FCC filed a $819,000 USD forfeiture order against T-Mobile after finding that they failed to provide the minimum number of hearing aid compatible handset models during the time period of November 2009 and December 2010. 

A Major Enforcement of Hearing Aid Compatibility: FCC fines T-Mobile For Violating Standards

T-Mobile Fined $819,000 for Hearing Aid Compatibility Violations. (2018, October 11). Retrieved from https://www.fcc.gov/document/t-mobile-fined-819000-hearing-aid-compatibility-violations

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