Puerto Rican Carrier Fined $650,000 for HAC Violations
Puerto Rico Telephone Co., also known as Claro, agreed to pay $650,000 to settle claims the company had failed over a multi-year period to meet requirements to offer hearing-aid compatible handsets. The FCC publicized the order Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1cO5JAW).
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
The Enforcement Bureau investigated possible violations by Claro of the commission’s 2008 deployment benchmarks. The bureau looked into Claro’s compliance in 2009, 2010 and 2011, the order said. “The Consent Decree resolves and terminates the Bureau’s investigations into Claro’s possible violations of Sections 20.19(c)(3) and 20.19(d)(3) of the Commission’s rules ... pertaining to the deployment of digital wireless hearing aid-compatible handset models,” the order said. Claro agreed to take other steps as well, including putting together a compliance manual and a compliance training program, as well as reporting any future violations within 15 days.
The fine was unusually large for a HAC violation. In other recent actions by the Enforcement Bureau, the bureau announced in June that TeleGuam Holdings had agreed to pay $280,000 and Airadigm $260,000 for HAC violations. In September 2012, handset maker HTC agreed to pay a $515,000 fine.
"The enforcement Bureau has been good about watching different companies, not just this one, keeping on top of what’s going on with the different providers,” said Lise Hamlin, director of public policy at the Hearing Loss Association of America, in an interview. “It’s not that I want to see companies lose money, but it’s incredibly hard for people with hearing loss to find a cellphone that’s hearing aid compatible,” she said. “Having set these benchmarks ... we really would like to see everyone come up to speed."
"We commend the FCC for its enforcement actions against Claro and others which have made similar violations in the past,” said Claude Stout, executive director of Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. “The hearing aid compatibility rules were implemented by the FCC as a result of a 17-year voluntary, collaborative process between consumer groups, hearing aid manufacturers and phone companies. It is inexcusable for any company to not comply with the FCC’s HAC rules. We salute the FCC for taking action in this area on a consistent basis.”