T-Mobile Draws Big Fine from FCC for Hearing-Aid Compatibility Shortfall
More than two years ago the FCC proposed to fine T-Mobile a whopping $819,000 for violations of hearing aid compatibility (HAC) requirements. Under those requirements both manufacturers and mobile carriers must offer a broad range of handsets that (a) don’t cause interference to hearing aids and (b) do work with the telecoil add-ons that many hearing aid wearers use. The Commission has now finalized the fine.
While fines for HAC violations have increased dramatically since the requirements were imposed in 2008, T-Mobile’s whammy was still a record amount for this time of violation. T-Mobile knew that it was violating the rules but figured that the likely penalty would be small enough that the company’s bottom line could tolerate it. Everybody agrees what the requirements are; the only significant difference here is in the amount of the fine. And the Commission believes that it is plainly permitted to issue stiffer sentences if it wants, with or without warning, particularly it does so as part of a “dynamic enforcement approachâ€. Given that T-Mobile is obviously a large company, the FCC wanted to be sure that any fine it issued would not be so low as to be treated as a mere cost of doing business.
http://www.commlawblog.com/2014/09/articles/enforcement-activities-fines-f/fcc-spanks-tmobile-for-819000
While fines for HAC violations have increased dramatically since the requirements were imposed in 2008, T-Mobile’s whammy was still a record amount for this time of violation. T-Mobile knew that it was violating the rules but figured that the likely penalty would be small enough that the company’s bottom line could tolerate it. Everybody agrees what the requirements are; the only significant difference here is in the amount of the fine. And the Commission believes that it is plainly permitted to issue stiffer sentences if it wants, with or without warning, particularly it does so as part of a “dynamic enforcement approachâ€. Given that T-Mobile is obviously a large company, the FCC wanted to be sure that any fine it issued would not be so low as to be treated as a mere cost of doing business.
http://www.commlawblog.com/2014/09/articles/enforcement-activities-fines-f/fcc-spanks-tmobile-for-819000