Additional information on Specific Absorption
Rates (SAR) can be found on the Cellular
Telecommunications Industry Association
(CTIA) website at http://www.ctia.org/.
* In the United States and Canada, the SAR
limit for mobile phones used by the public
is 1.6 watts/kg (W/kg) averaged over one
gram of tissue. The standard incorporates a
substantial margin of safety to give additional
protection for the public and to account for
any variations in measurements.
FCC Hearing-Aid Compatibility
(HAC) Regulations for Wireless
Devices
On July 10, 2003, the U.S. Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) Report
and Order in WT Docket 01-309 modified
the exception of wireless phones under the
Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988 (HAC
Act) to require digital wireless phones be
compatible with hearing-aids. The intent of
the HAC Act is to ensure reasonable access
to telecommunications services for persons
with hearing disabilities. While some wireless
phones are used near some hearing devices
(hearing aids and cochlear implants), users
may detect a buzzing, humming, or whining
noise. Some hearing devices are more
immune than others to this interference
noise, and phones also vary in the amount
of interference they generate. The wireless
telephone industry has developed a rating
system for wireless phones, to assist hearing
device users to find phones that may be
compatible with their hearing devices. Not
all phones have been rated. Phones that are
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