Assistive Listening Knowledge Base
  • Regulation

47 CFR 20.19: hearing loss compatible wireless handsets

From https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/evidence/fcc-2026-hearing-aid-compatible-handsets/ · record checked 9 October 2026

  • US Federal Communications Commission
  • eCFR

Government (US Federal Communications Commission)

Summary

The US rule on mobile phones and hearing aids, which from 14 December 2026 lets Bluetooth coupling stand in for telecoil coupling on some handsets and later requires that Bluetooth link to be non-proprietary.

Key findings

  • Defines Bluetooth coupling as a form of hearing aid compatibility in which the handset connects to hearing aids by short-range wireless technology using chipsets and antennas inside the handset.
  • Handset models submitted for FCC approval from 14 December 2026 must meet acoustic coupling and volume control requirements, plus either telecoil coupling or Bluetooth coupling as a replacement for or in addition to it.
  • After 14 December 2026 all of a manufacturer's handset models must meet acoustic coupling, at least 85% must meet telecoil coupling and at least 15% must have Bluetooth coupling, and every model must offer at least two forms of coupling.
  • Until 13 December 2028 the Bluetooth coupling may be proprietary; from then it must be a standalone non-proprietary implementation of a global low-power wireless standard for high-quality audio voice streaming, be qualified against the specifications it claims, and give full interoperability between hearing aids and handsets.
  • Package labels and manufacturer websites must say whether each model meets telecoil or Bluetooth coupling requirements and which Bluetooth coupling standard it includes.

Limits

Covers phone calls on mobile handsets, not assistive listening broadcasts in venues. The rule names no particular Bluetooth standard and does not mention LE Audio or Auracast. Date is the section's latest amendment shown by eCFR.

Read the original

www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/section-20.19

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Cited in

Cite this source

US Federal Communications Commission. 47 CFR 20.19: hearing loss compatible wireless handsets. eCFR. 26 January 2026. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/section-20.19 (accessed 9 October 2026).

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