How many receivers and neckloops does each code require, and how should a loan pool be run?

Why it matters

With FM and infrared, every listener borrows a receiver, while telecoil users in a looped room need none¹. Auracast can reach listeners' own devices, but people whose hearing devices cannot join a broadcast need a receiver with a neckloop or headphones²; the personal-phone route to Wi-Fi streaming needs a smartphone and an app, which a significant share of the people concerned do not have³. Codes set how many receivers a venue keeps, and the way the pool is run decides whether they help: in the CCAA's self-selected survey of 1,519 people with hearing loss, run by hearing-loss advocates with funding not stated, complaints included dead batteries, unhygienic headsets, too few receivers, untrained staff and neckloops that did not work or were not offered⁴.

What the evidence shows

How many receivers each code requires

• United States, ADA. Table 219.3 of the 2010 ADA Standards sets receivers by seating capacity: 2 for 50 seats or fewer, then 1 more per 25 seats over 50 up to 500 seats, with lower rates for larger rooms, reaching 55 plus 1 per 100 seats over 2,000; fractions of each seat increment count as another receiver. At least 25% of them, and no fewer than two, must be hearing-aid compatible, meaning they work with telecoils through neckloops; the advisory notes count headsets that can be worn as neckloops, but not earbuds, earphones or headsets worn over the ear⁵. The Department of Justice explains that the 1991 Standards required receivers for 4% of fixed seats, and that the 2010 table keeps 4% for small facilities and lowers the share as facilities grow⁶.
• United States, building codes. The 2024 International Building Code, a model code applying where adopted, also sets receivers by seating capacity, with 2 hearing-aid-compatible receivers up to 200 seats and 1 in 4 above that, rounding fractions upward⁷.
• Pooling across rooms. The ADA lets a building with several assembly areas under one management size one pool on their total seats, provided every receiver works with every system⁵; the International Building Code has the same conditions of one building, one management and receivers usable with every system⁷.
• A loop removes only the neckloop minimum. Under the ADA and the International Building Code, the hearing-aid-compatible minimum falls away where an induction loop serves every seat^5,7. A maker's guide to the ADA notes that the receivers themselves are still required⁸.
• Australia. The NCC 2025 model code, whose adoption dates vary by state and territory, sets receivers for receiver-based systems by persons accommodated (up to 500 persons, 1 per 25 persons or 2, whichever is greater, with lower rates above that and fractions of each increment rounded upward) and requires those systems to reach 95% of the floor area served by the amplification system. An induction loop must cover 80% of that area, with no receiver count, and the code sets no hearing-aid-compatible share⁹. AS 1428.5:2021 has an appendix on receiver quantities, but its numbers are in the paid text¹⁰.
• Switzerland. A Swiss expert reports that the existing SIA 500 gives a guideline of 10 receivers or 5 to 10% of the audience, expects this to fall to 4 receivers in the revision and adds that loan receivers must be free¹¹. The July 2025 consultation draft would require operators of FM, infrared and Auracast systems to provide receivers with neckloops (guide value at least 4, or 5% of seats from 100 seats), with simple headphones also available¹².
• Canada, England and Europe. Canada's model code requires a system covering the whole seating area in assembly rooms larger than 100 m² but sets no receiver count and no hearing-aid-compatible share¹³. England's guidance sets no receiver numbers and refers to BS 8300 for detail¹⁴. A hearing-loss federation's summary of the European standard EN 17210 gives no receiver counts¹⁵.
• Earlier US recommendations and enforcement. A 1999 report to the US Access Board recommended at least one neckloop for every four headphone-type receivers¹⁶. In a 1999 settlement with the Department of Justice under the 1991 Standards, a cinema chain agreed to provide 27 receivers for an existing 1,074-seat cinema, with at least one neckloop receiver in each of its three auditoriums¹⁷.

Who still needs a loan receiver

• FM and infrared. Every listener, with or without hearing aids, borrows a receiver used with earphones or a neckloop¹.
• Auracast. The Center for Hearing Access expected early Auracast systems to be used like FM or infrared, with loaned receivers and headphones or neckloops, because it estimated in 2024 that 99% of users lacked Auracast-capable hearing instruments¹⁸; its undated Auracast page puts the share at 95%¹⁹, and its 2025 guide says receivers with neckloops will be needed for the foreseeable future²⁰. In RNID's March 2026 station test, published in a report funded by the Motability Foundation, nine of ten participants needed a loaned device: two a phone with a dongle receiver and seven a neckloop receiver with their telecoil²¹. A cochlear implant maker says its processors do not receive Auracast directly, so their users plug in a separate receiver²². On one visit to a Swiss sports arena during a match, Pro Audito's independent testers, using equipment owned by participants or lent free by makers, judged reception faultless with the arena's loaned receivers with neckloops as well as with personal devices; three hearing-aid models and two headphones were tested, but participant count and full-bowl coverage were not reported²³.
• Wi-Fi streaming. A Wi-Fi maker's statement on the ADA says venues must still provide the Table 219.3 receivers, and recommends venue phones with its app installed, used with neckloops or wired headphones; it equates one station's 100 connections with the receivers required for up to 6,500 seats²⁴. Another Wi-Fi maker presents its dedicated Wi-Fi receiver, which has a 3.5 mm socket for wired headphones or a neckloop and lists no Bluetooth output, as a way for venues to meet accessibility requirements²⁵. An industry association says a venue "cannot guarantee compliance with ADA Table 219.3" if listeners are expected to bring their own devices³. In Pew Research Center's 2025 survey of 5,022 US adults (primarily funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts), 78% of those aged 65 and over owned a smartphone²⁶. Australia's AS 1428.5 has an appendix heading "Why mobile phones are not suitable as receivers"; the text under it is not public¹⁰.

Whether listeners borrow receivers

• In the CCAA survey of 1,519 self-selected people (66% with severe-to-profound loss, recruited through hearing-loss websites and groups; run by a committee of hearing-loss advocates, among them the loop advocates Stephen O. Frazier (its chair), Juliëtte Sterkens and David Myers; funding not stated), only 37% always or usually borrow the equipment where a venue offers a system with headsets, and 39% where it offers neckloops, while 69% of respondents with telecoils always or usually use a loop where one is installed^4,27. The report's figure of over 60% preferring loops among five assistive listening technologies appears to rest on its question about what a city council chamber should install, where 187 of the 312 who chose a listening system chose a loop; counting everyone who gave an opinion, 61% chose captions and 23% a loop^4,27.
• In the 2014 survey by Kochkin, Sterkens and colleagues (243 respondents who had all used a loop, mostly HLAA members, paid for by grants from loop, assistive listening and hearing-device technology makers), 81% preferred a loop to FM or infrared with a neckloop or headset, and the article reports 88% among the 125 who had used all three; that subgroup's percentages add up to 105.6%, an unresolved inconsistency²⁸.
• In a 2013 government-funded convenience survey of 180 people with hearing loss, 30% said they never use a system when one is available and 37% of users were unsatisfied; it did not record which technology venues used²⁹.
• A maker's case study reports that a 1,500-seat Texas theatre lends 15-20 assistive listening devices per performance on average, with 50-60 requests on some nights; the figures are not dated or tied to the theatre's old infrared or new RF system³⁰.
• Advocates give reasons: users "lose dignity by “outing” their disability", borrowing and returning is inconvenient, and borrowed equipment can fail³¹; locating a receiver with a neckloop is a hassle and "outs" the disability many patients try to hide³².

Neckloop quality

• In an independent bench test of six neckloops on a dummy head, published by the hearing-loss organisation Pro Audito in September 2026, many lost the high frequencies that matter most for speech. Pro Audito ranked the Geemarc iLoop+ first, the Listen LA-438 second and the Beyerdynamic/Televic IL 200 and Sennheiser EZT-3012 third, and did not recommend the Monacor NL-90 or the Williams AV NKL-001S³³.
• Pro Audito also reported in February 2025 that every FM, infrared and Auracast system it had tested reached the required magnetic field strength at the ear through a neckloop only with the transmitter fully driven and the receiver volume near maximum, and recommends an automatic gain control or fast limiter before the transmitter³⁴.
• IEC 62489-1 has clauses and a test jig for measuring neck loops³⁵. An industry association says neckloops should give a signal meeting IEC 60118-4 when measured as IEC 62489-1 specifies³, and the Swiss draft would require field strength and frequency response through the neckloop to meet EN 60118-4¹².
• The Center for Hearing Access advises ordering neckloops from the receiver's maker, because a mismatched neckloop can be too weak for the telecoil and distort when the volume is turned up³¹.
• A loop advocate writes that neckloops can become intermittent after rough handling and may be paired with receivers too weak to give a field of 100-400 mA/m, and lists staff unaware that neckloops exist among the problems users report with borrowed receivers³⁶.
• In Pro Audito's unpaid test of one system lent free by its maker, the Auracast transmitter maker's clip receivers worked with ordinary inductive neckloops for about 8 hours per charge, although the maker offered no neckloops of its own at the time³⁷.

Whether receivers work across systems

• Two professional Auracast receivers received only their own brand's transmitters at the firmware tested³⁸. An infrared maker states that its receivers work with other makers' systems on the same carrier frequencies³⁹. The same maker's FM manual says its noise reduction works only with its own receivers and must be switched off for other makers' or older receivers, some of which may distort with its transmitters⁴⁰. A 1999 report recommended posting the FM frequencies and infrared subcarriers in use for people who bring their own receivers¹⁶.

Running the pool

• One trained person. The 1999 report to the Access Board recommended that the same person, in the same place, check receivers in and out, trained to operate and troubleshoot them. The duties it lists are recharging batteries after each performance, checking disposable batteries before each performance, listen-testing every receiver before lending it, helping listeners choose headphones, a neckloop or earbuds, and taking hygienic measures when receivers come back, for example wiping foam cushions with an antiseptic and replacing disposable ones. It also recommended low-battery warnings on receivers and signs saying exactly where receivers can be obtained¹⁶.
• Receiver types. An infrared maker's 2011 manual says under-chin receivers are simple to hand out and do not tangle but are uncomfortable for some guests over long periods, while lanyard receivers take many kinds of earphones but are harder to hand out⁴¹. Another maker's 2024 manual gives one infrared transmitter's coverage as up to 32,000 sq ft (2,972 m²) with its handheld receiver and 19,000 sq ft (1,765 m²) with its under-chin receiver⁴². The 1999 report found that some under-chin receivers did not take standard neckloop plugs and recommended 3.5 mm outputs¹⁶; a loop advocate lists having to remove hearing aids to wear under-chin receivers among users' complaints³⁶; and Bavaria's planning guidelines note that ear-hook receivers are useless to hearing aid users, who need neckloops⁴³.
• Battery life. The 2011 manual gives its receivers about 30 hours on AAA alkaline batteries and about 15 hours on its rechargeable pack, which takes up to 9 hours to charge in its charging station⁴¹. In a 2023 case study by the same maker, the Texas theatre's new RF receivers sit in charging cradles that switch them on when lifted out³⁰.
• Testing and outages. The 1999 settlement required each theatre to test all receivers and transmitters at least monthly and after any complaint, keep test records, start repairs by the next business day, make sure staff know where receivers are kept and how the systems work, and announce outages of more than 48 hours on its telephone message¹⁷. A UK infrared maker's manual recommends a monthly listening check with a receiver, quarterly checks of each input and a yearly engineer visit that measures the field strength at neckloop receivers with a calibrated meter⁴⁴. The current ADA Title III regulation, like its Title II counterpart, requires accessible features and equipment to be kept in operable working condition, apart from isolated or temporary interruptions for maintenance or repairs; it does not name receivers⁴⁵.
• Workload by technology. Guidance lists receivers that the venue must clean, issue, collect and keep charged among FM's disadvantages¹, and batteries, staff time and hygiene concerns among the operator's burdens with infrared³¹. An industry association counts less shared equipment and fewer hygiene concerns among the advantages of Wi-Fi systems where listeners bring their own devices³.
• Signs and visibility. The ADA requires signs saying that a system is available⁵, and Australia's code requires the sign to say where to get receivers⁹. Swiss guidance accepts an Auracast-only system where a loop is not feasible, provided loan receivers with neckloops are visible, available and easy to use⁴⁶. A US advisory committee named failure to maintain equipment and missing signs among common errors in courthouses⁴⁷.
• Management and checks. EFHOH reports that EN 17210 has an annex on management and maintenance, including staff training on assistive listening systems¹⁵. The Swiss draft would require a receiver with headphones for the operator's own checks¹².

Where sources disagree

The codes count differently: the US counts seats and requires a hearing-aid-compatible share⁵, Australia counts persons accommodated and sets no such share⁹, the Swiss draft would set a guide value of at least 4 receivers, or 5% of seats from 100 seats, each with a neckloop¹², and the cited Canadian model code and English guidance set no number^13,14. They also treat loops differently: under the ADA a loop serving every seat removes only the neckloop minimum^5,8, while Australia's code sets no receiver count for a loop⁹.

Sources differ on whether phones can count as receivers. A Wi-Fi maker proposes meeting the Table 219.3 count with venue phones running its app, used with neckloops or headphones²⁴; Australia's standard has a heading on why mobile phones are not suitable as receivers¹⁰; and an industry association says a venue "cannot guarantee compliance with ADA Table 219.3" if listeners must bring their own devices³. For Auracast, loop advocates expect loan receivers to be needed for years while few hearing devices can join^18,20,32.

Advice on neckloops differs as well: the Center for Hearing Access advises buying them from the receiver's maker³¹, while Pro Audito's measurements compared neckloops across brands and ranked an active neckloop with its own amplifier first³³.

What would settle it

Codes or official guidance that say whether venue phones, or listeners' own Auracast and Wi-Fi devices, count toward receiver numbers, and public access to the receiver quantities in AS 1428.5^5,24,10. Performance requirements for neckloops in codes beyond the Swiss draft, and independent tests of receivers across brands for each technology. Surveys of borrowing that are not recruited through hearing-loss networks and that record which technology was offered. The cited loan-pool guidance does not measure hygiene or compare staffing, testing and charging practices with borrowing and reliability outcomes^16,4,33,12. The infrared battery-life and receiver-coverage figures cited here come from makers' manuals, without independent measurement^41,42.

Planning while it is open

• Size the pool to the law that applies: where the ADA applies, Table 219.3 with fractions rounded up and at least 25% (no fewer than two) hearing-aid compatible, subject to the all-seat loop exception; where an Australian jurisdiction has adopted them, the relevant NCC receiver provisions, also rounding fractions of each increment upward^5,7,9.
• Where the ADA applies, keep receivers even if a loop serves every seat^5,8.
• With Auracast or Wi-Fi, keep loan receivers with neckloops for listeners whose devices cannot connect^20,2,24.
• If one pool serves several rooms, check that every receiver works with every system^5,38.
• Choose neckloops with measured, flat high-frequency response, and test them with the receivers and transmitters they will be used with^33,34,37.
• Check that every receiver takes the neckloops it will be lent with; the 1999 report recommended standard 3.5 mm outputs, because some under-chin receivers did not take standard neckloop plugs¹⁶.
• Name a trained person to issue, check in, charge, listen-test and clean receivers¹⁶.
• Test receivers and transmitters regularly (monthly in one Justice Department settlement and in one maker's schedule, which adds a yearly field-strength check at neckloop receivers) and after any complaint, keep records, and tell listeners when a system is out of service^17,44,45.
• Put up signs saying that a system is available and exactly where to get receivers^5,9,16.

Sources

1. Comparison of Large Area Assistive Listening Systems. Compton-Conley C. Hearing Loss Association of America (reprint), 2015. Nonprofit advocacy (reprinted by HLAA with the contact address of its Get in the Hearing Loop program; written by Cynthia Compton-Conley, PhD, of Gallaudet University; who paid for the original is not stated) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/comparison-of-large-area-assistive-listening-systems.pdf
2. Auracast Systems (technology and accessibility page). Hearing Loss Association of America. Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), 28 September 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (Hearing Loss Association of America, a US consumer organisation for people with hearing loss; its site asks for memberships and donations and lists corporate partners and advertising) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/technology-and-accessibility/auracast/
3. Audio Over Wi-Fi Assistive Listening Systems. International Association for Hearing Accessibility (IAHA), undated (read 9 October 2026). Trade body (IAHA; its members include manufacturers of assistive listening technologies and other organisations that create or install assistive listening systems, as well as groups supporting people with hearing loss; its funding is not stated) ↩︎ https://iaha-global.com/assistive-listening-technologies/audio-over-wifi/
4. Consumer use of and preferences for assistive communication technology in public places. Committee for Communication Access in America (Frazier SO, Bailey A, Cadwell B, Clifford C, Liebe K, Myers D, Sterkens J). Committee for Communication Access in America, 8 January 2024. Nonprofit advocacy (an ad hoc committee of hearing-loss advocates, chaired by Stephen O. Frazier (Loop New Mexico; a founding member of HLAA's Get in the Hearing Loop initiative), the report's correspondence author; funding not stated; data collected and analysed by the Frost Center for Data and Social Research at Hope College. The committee's site lists David Myers (founder of hearingloop.org) and Juliette Sterkens (HLAA hearing loop advocate) among its members, with Abram Bailey (founder of HearingTracker), Blake Cadwell (founder and CEO of Soundly), Kevin Liebe (hearinghealthmatters.org) and Carol Clifford (audiologist, former ReSound training director)) ↩︎ https://www.ccaa.name/Report_Final_1-12-24.pdf
5. 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. US Department of Justice. US Department of Justice (ada.gov), 15 September 2010. Government (US Department of Justice) ↩︎ https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regs/design-standards/2010-stds/
6. Guidance on the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (section "219 and 706 Assistive Listening Systems"). US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. ada.gov, 15 September 2010. Government (US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division) ↩︎ https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regs/design-standards/standards-guidance/
7. 2024 International Building Code, Chapter 11 Accessibility: 1109.2.7 Assistive listening systems and 1112.4 Other signs. International Code Council. International Code Council (ICC Digital Codes), August 2023. Standards body (International Code Council) ↩︎ https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IBC2024P1/chapter-11-accessibility
8. Understanding the Assistive Listening Americans with Disabilities Act. Listen Technologies, 25 October 2023. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, which sells RF/FM, infrared, hearing loop, Wi-Fi and Auracast assistive listening products; owned since February 2023 by Allvida, which also owns the hearing-loop maker Ampetronic) ↩︎ https://www.listentech.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ADA-White-Paper-2023-10-25-vA1-WEB.pdf
9. National Construction Code 2025, Volume One, Part D4: D4D7 Signage and D4D8 Hearing augmentation. Australian Building Codes Board. Australian Building Codes Board (NCC online), 1 May 2026. Government (Australian Building Codes Board) ↩︎ https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/editions/ncc-2025/adopted/volume-one/d-access-and-egress/part-d4-access-people-disability
10. AS 1428.5:2021 Design for access and mobility, Part 5: Communication for people who are deaf or hearing impaired. Standards Australia. Standards Australia (Standards Store), 3 September 2021. Standards body (Standards Australia) ↩︎ https://store.standards.org.au/product/as-1428-5-2021
11. Bluetooth Auracast in theaters and event venues. Graf B (Pro Audito Schweiz). Proscenium no. 3, pp. 10-11, Swiss Association of Technical Stage and Event Industry; English reprint by the Center for Hearing Access, September 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/Proscenium-Technical-article-Bluetooth-Auracast-in-theaters-and-event-venues-1.pdf
12. prSIA 500:2025-07 Hindernisfreie Bauten (obstacle-free buildings), consultation draft. SIA (Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects). SIA; consultation copy with highlights published by Pro Audito Schweiz (in German), July 2025. Standards body (SIA) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/wp-content/uploads/prSIA500_Vernehmlassungsentwurf-mit-Hervorhebungen.pdf
13. National Building Code of Canada 2025: assistive listening systems (Articles 3.8.2.9 and 3.8.3.19, Note A-3.8.3.19). Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes. National Research Council Canada, 22 December 2025. Government (National Research Council Canada) ↩︎ https://doi.org/10.4224/26fz-gg26
14. Approved Document M, Volume 2: buildings other than dwellings (2015 edition incorporating 2020 and 2024 amendments). UK Government. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (GOV.UK), 30 September 2024. Government (UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) ↩︎ https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66f6c5eec71e42688b65ee11/ADM__V2_with_2024_amendments.pdf
15. EU standard for hearing access in the built environment. European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH). EFHOH, 14 March 2024. Nonprofit advocacy (European federation of hard of hearing people's organisations; its site states that its 2024-2026 publications are co-funded by the EU CERV programme) ↩︎ https://efhoh.org/2024/03/eu-standard-for-hearing-access-in-the-built-environment/
16. Large area assistive listening systems (ALS): review and recommendations. Bakke MH, Levitt H, Ross M, Erickson F. Final report to the U.S. Access Board; Lexington School for the Deaf, Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Hearing Enhancement, December 1999. Government (U.S. Department of Education, NIDRR grant H133E30015; final report to the U.S. Access Board) ↩︎ https://www.access-board.gov/files/research/assistive-listening-systems.pdf
17. Settlement Agreement between the United States of America and Crown Theaters re: assistive listening systems in theaters (DOJ complaint number 202-14-34). US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section; Crown Theaters. US Department of Justice (ADA archive), 8 March 1999. Government (US Department of Justice, which enforces Title III of the ADA; the other party is the cinema chain that settled) ↩︎ https://archive.ada.gov/crownth.htm
18. What is needed for Auracast streamed assistive listening systems to be available and usable. Center for Hearing Access (reviewed by Juliette Sterkens, AuD). Center for Hearing Access, The John G. Shedd Institute, 15 December 2024. Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, an initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts; it states that it accepts no donations from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/What-is-needed-for-Auracast-streamed-ALS-to-be-available-and-usable.pdf
19. Auracast streamed assistive listening system (resource page). Center for Hearing Access, undated (read 9 October 2026). Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, an initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts; it states that it accepts no donations from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/auracast/
20. Assistive Listening Systems Quick Guide. Center for Hearing Access (reviewed by Juliette Sterkens, AuD). Center for Hearing Access, The John G. Shedd Institute, 29 October 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, an initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts; it states that it accepts no donations from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/Assistive-Listening-Systems-Quick-Guide.pdf
21. Clear Signals: improving transport accessibility for deaf people and people with hearing loss. RNID. RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People), 22 September 2026. Independent (RNID survey and concept test; report funded by the Motability Foundation; Ampetronic, which installed the station's transmitters, announced in July 2025 that it commissioned RNID trials there, but the read sources do not establish whether those are the March 2026 concept test) ↩︎ https://rnid.org.uk/what-we-do/policy-and-influencing/clear-signals-improving-transport-accessibility/
22. Can Cochlear Implants Receive Auracast Broadcasts?. MED-EL. The MED-EL Blog, 2 April 2025. Manufacturer (MED-EL) ↩︎ https://blog.medel.com/technology/can-cochlear-implants-receive-auracast-broadcasts/
23. Technical analysis of the Bluetooth Auracast system in the Pilatus Arena. Pro Audito Schweiz. Pro Audito Schweiz (in German), 3 November 2025. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association; test devices were lent free by their manufacturers or owned by participants) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/technische-analyse-des-bluetooth-auracast-systems-in-der-pilatus-arena/
24. MobileConnect ADA Compliancy Statement. Sennheiser Streaming Technologies GmbH. Sennheiser, June 2021. Manufacturer (Sennheiser, maker of the MobileConnect Wi-Fi system) ↩︎ https://www.sennheiser.com/globalassets/digizuite/41165-en-mobileconnect_ada_compliancy_statement.pdf
25. ListenWIFI Wi-Fi Audio Receiver (LWR-1050). Listen Technologies. Listen Technologies (product page), 1 February 2024. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, maker of the ListenWIFI system and receiver described, which also sells RF/FM, infrared, hearing loop and Auracast assistive listening products) ↩︎ https://www.listentech.com/shop/product/listenwifi-wi-fi-audio-receiver/
26. Mobile Fact Sheet. Pew Research Center, 20 November 2025. Independent (Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder; the survey was conducted for the Center by SSRS) ↩︎ https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
27. CCAA Survey on Assistive Communication Technology: Graphs. Committee for Communication Access in America. Committee for Communication Access in America (ccaa.name), 2023. Nonprofit advocacy (an ad hoc committee of hearing-loss advocates chaired by Stephen O. Frazier (Loop New Mexico; a founding member of HLAA's Get in the Hearing Loop initiative), among them hearing loop advocates David Myers and Juliette Sterkens; funding not stated; the survey page says the responses were recorded by the Frost Center for Data and Social Research at Hope College) ↩︎ https://www.ccaa.name/CCAA_Graphs.pdf
28. Consumer Perceptions of the Impact of Inductively Looped Venues on the Utility of Their Hearing Devices. Kochkin S, Sterkens J, Compton-Conley C, Beck DL, Taylor B, Kricos P, Caccavo M, Holmes A, Powers TA. Hearing Review (October 2014 issue), 24 September 2014. Manufacturer (paid for by grants from Etymotic Research, Contacta, Listen Technologies, IntriCon and Univox by Edin, which the acknowledgments describe as including two hearing loop makers, an assistive listening company and two hearing-device technology makers; co-author Juliëtte Sterkens runs the Loop Wisconsin advocacy blog, one of the recruitment channels. The article prints no affiliations; from other sources, co-author Douglas L. Beck worked for the hearing-aid maker Oticon, joining as director of professional relations in 2005 (AudiologyOnline, 20 August 2005) and named director of academic sciences in 2016 (Hearing Review, 6 April 2016), and co-author Thomas A. Powers was vice-president of audiology at the hearing-aid maker Siemens Hearing Instruments (Hearing Review, 19 September 2013) and later a vice-president of its successor, Sivantos (Better Hearing Institute biography)) ↩︎ https://hearingreview.com/hearing-products/implants-bone-conduction/cochlear-implants/consumer-perceptions-impact-inductively-looped-venues-utility-hearing-devices
29. User Needs: Assistive Listening Systems in Public Venues for Hearing Aid Users (Research Brief 2013, No. 3). Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC). Wireless RERC (archive hosted by the Georgia Institute of Technology), 1 August 2013. Government (US Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, grant H133E110002; the questionnaire was designed as a market-needs study for an app-based assistive listening system being developed with Wireless RERC support) ↩︎ https://wirelessrercarchive.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/publications/Research%20Brief_Survey_Assistive%20Listening%20Services_2013-08-01.pdf
30. Lutcher Theater Installs Wi-Fi and RF Assistive Listening (case study). Listen Technologies, 13 January 2023. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, which supplied the RF and Wi-Fi systems described and also sells infrared systems) ↩︎ https://www.listentech.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/RF_LE-Lutcher-Theater-Case-Study-WEB.pdf
31. Infrared (IR) Assistive Listening Systems. Center for Hearing Access. Center for Hearing Access, The John G. Shedd Institute, undated (read 9 October 2026). Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, an initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts; it states that it accepts no donations from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/infrared/
32. Helping People Hear Anywhere with Telecoils and Auracast. Sterkens J, Whyman W. Canadian Audiologist 12(1), January 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (both authors work with the Center for Hearing Access: Wynne Whyman as its director of communication and advocacy, Juliëtte Sterkens as its hearing access advocate; Sterkens left practice in 2012 to work as HLAA's national hearing loop advocate, with outreach funded by the David & Carol Myers Foundation) ↩︎ https://canadianaudiologist.ca/helping-people-hear-anywhere-with-telecoils-and-auracast/
33. Which inductive neck loops are suitable for Auracast/FM/IR receivers?. Pro Audito Schweiz. Pro Audito Schweiz; English reprint by the Center for Hearing Access, 8 September 2026. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/Pro-Audito-Schweiz-Which-inductive-neck-loops-are-suitable-for-AuracastFMIR-receivers.pdf
34. Can Bluetooth Auracast be used as an assistive listening system?. Pro Audito Schweiz. Pro Audito Schweiz (in German), 17 February 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/kann-bluetooth-auracast-als-hoeranlage-eingesetzt-werden/
35. IEC 62489-1:2010+AMD1:2014+AMD2:2017 Electroacoustics - Audio-frequency induction loop systems for assisted hearing - Part 1: Methods of measuring and specifying the performance of system components. IEC TC 29 (Electroacoustics). International Electrotechnical Commission, 27 November 2017. Standards body (International Electrotechnical Commission; the full text is sold, and only the abstract and a preview are public) ↩︎ https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/62119
36. Hearing Loop – the Preferred Large Area Assistive Listening System: Here's Why. Sterkens J. Canadian Audiologist 6(1), 21 January 2019. Nonprofit advocacy (written by Juliëtte Sterkens, AuD, who according to the author note has worked since 2012 as an advocate for hearing loops and other assistive technology with the Hearing Loss Association of America, with grant funding from the David and Carol Myers Foundation; published in the Canadian Academy of Audiology's magazine) ↩︎ https://canadianaudiologist.ca/hearing-loop-large-area-system-feature/
37. Tested for you: the Avantree Venucast Oasis Aura Auracast transmitter (in German). Pro Audito Schweiz, 16 July 2026. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association; test units supplied free by the manufacturer, Pro Audito not paid) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/fuer-sie-getestet-auracast-sender-avantree-venucast-oasis-aura/
38. Auracast transmitter-receiver compatibility test (with data workbook). Pro Audito Schweiz, 6 October 2025. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association; no manufacturer funding, test products lent free by manufacturers) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/auracast-transmitter-receiver-compatibility-test/
39. LT-82 & LA-140 User Manual: Stationary IR Transmitter and Stationary IR Radiator. Listen Technologies, 26 September 2022. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, maker of the ListenIR transmitter and radiator described) ↩︎ https://www.listentech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/LT-82-_-LA-140-User-Manual-2022-09-26.pdf
40. User Manual: LT-800-072, LT-803-072 and LT-800-216 Stationary RF Transmitters. Listen Technologies, 3 November 2025. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, which sells the FM transmitters described as well as infrared, hearing loop, Wi-Fi and Auracast assistive listening products) ↩︎ https://www.listentech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/LT-800_803-User-Manual-2025-11-03-vA4-WEB.pdf
41. Stationary IR System Manual (design guide and user manuals for the LT-82 transmitter, LA-140 radiator and LR-42 and LR-44 receivers). Listen Technologies. Listen Technologies; copy hosted by the reseller Full Compass, 4 May 2011. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, maker of the infrared products described) ↩︎ https://www.fullcompass.com/common/files/24148-ListenTechnologiesStationaryIRSystemManual.pdf
42. IR T3 Infrared Transmitter user manual (MAN 295). Williams AV, 6 November 2024. Manufacturer (Williams AV, maker of the SoundPlus IR T3 transmitter described) ↩︎ https://williamsav.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/MAN-295-IRT3-User-Manual.pdf
43. Induktive Höranlagen beim Freistaat Bayern: Planungsrichtlinien, Stand 01.01.2019 (Hearing loops in Bavarian state buildings: planning guidelines). Bavarian State Ministry for Housing, Building and Transport; text by Ertl F (Government of the Upper Palatinate) and Jaggo T (Landesverband Bayern der Schwerhörigen und Ertaubten). Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wohnen, Bau und Verkehr, 1 January 2019. Government (Bavarian State Ministry for Housing, Building and Transport, for state building projects; written with the technical officer of the Bavarian association of hard-of-hearing and deafened people, a hearing-loss organisation, and including a comparison table used with the permission of an engineer from the German hard-of-hearing association) ↩︎ https://mobilitaet.bayern.de/assets/stmi/min/181217-induktive-hoeranlagen.pdf
44. IRMTX750 Infra Red Modulator & Radiator: Installation and Maintenance Manual (Revision 2). Current Thinking Ltd. Current Thinking Ltd (Infra~Hear range); copy hosted by a French audiovisual reseller, January 2011. Manufacturer (Current Thinking Ltd, a UK maker of the Infra~Hear infrared assistive listening products described) ↩︎ https://www.la-bs.com/Objets/IRMTX750_me.pdf
45. 28 CFR 36.211: maintenance of accessible features (ADA Title III regulation). US Department of Justice. eCFR, 15 September 2010. Government (US Department of Justice) ↩︎ https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/section-36.211
46. Höranlagen heute und morgen. Was ändert sich mit der neuen Technologie Auracast? (Hearing systems today and tomorrow: what changes with Auracast?). Hindernisfreie Architektur, the Swiss national centre for barrier-free architecture, with recommendations from Pro Audito Schweiz. hindernisfreie-architektur.ch (in German), 19 May 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (donation-funded Swiss specialist centre) ↩︎ https://hindernisfreie-architektur.ch/fachinformation/hoeranlagen-heute-und-morgen-was-aendert-sich-mit-der-neuen-technologie-auracast/
47. Justice for All: Designing Accessible Courthouses (recommendations from the Courthouse Access Advisory Committee). Courthouse Access Advisory Committee. US Access Board, 15 November 2006. Government (US Access Board federal advisory committee of 35 members, among them the Hearing Loss Association of America, courts, architects, code bodies and disability groups) ↩︎ https://www.access-board.gov/ada/additional-resources/designing-accessible-courthouses.html

Change log

• 10 October 2026Published with 47 sources.
• 13 October 2026Clarified code scope, rounding, pooling, survey limits and the evidence for loan-receiver tests.
• 13 October 2026Independent audit added the all-seat loop exception to the summary, clarified personal-phone Wi-Fi and Australian rounding, and scoped evidence gaps.

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