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User Guide 5
Radio Frequency (RF) energy
Your telephone is a radio transmitter and receiver. When it is on,
it receives and sends out RF energy. Your service provider’s
network controls the power of the RF signal. This power level
can range from 0.006 to 0.6 watts.
In August 1996, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) adopted RF exposure guidelines with safety levels for
hand-held wireless phones. These guidelines are consistent with
the safety standards previously set by both U.S. and
international standards bodies in the following reports:
• ANSI C95.1 (American National Standards Institute, 1992)
• NCRP Report 86 (National Council on Radiation Protection
and Measurements, 1986)
• ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing
Radiation Protection, 1996)
Your phone complies with the standards set by these reports
and the FCC guidelines.
E911 mandates
Where service is available, this phone complies with the Phase I
and Phase II E911 Mandates issued by the FCC.
Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) Features
This Virgin Mobile USA phone has received a HAC performance
rating (designated by the letter M followed by a number). The
rating for this phone is identified on the outside of this phone’s
original packaging. While there is no guarantee, digital wireless
phones that receive a minimum of an M3 rating should provide
acceptable performance with most hearing aids. Hearing loss
and hearing aids are highly individualized, however, so optimal
performance cannot be guaranteed. Other factors, such as type
of hearing aid device or degree of hearing loss, also can affect a
phone’s performance for a particular user.
Hearing Aids and Wireless Phones
A hearing aid uses a microphone to collect and convert sound
waves to electrical signals. The hearing aid then amplifies and
converts the electrical signals back to audible sounds for the
hearing aid user to hear. Radio Frequency (RF) emissions
generated by digital wireless phones often interfere with the
operation of a hearing aid’s microphone, distorting the amplified
audible sound. In addition, hearing aid microphones tend to
collect ambient noise and amplify these sounds, interfering with
the desired audio transmission.
ANSI Standard
To diminish interference between wireless phones and hearing
aids, the FCC requires wireless carriers to offer phones that
meet the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) C63.19
standard for reduced RF emissions. Wireless phones that
comply with the FCC’s hearing aidcompatibility (HAC)
regulations must receive a minimum rating of “M3” for RF
emissions under the ANSI C63.19 standard. The “M” rating
refers to the phone’s RF emissions level for use with hearing
aids operating in the microphone setting.
The higher the phone’s “M” rating, the more likely the phone is
compatible with a hearing aid operating in the microphone
setting. Hearing aids also have ratings similar to wireless
phones. Most newer hearing aid models receive at least an M2
rating.
To determine the level of compatibility between your hearing aid
and this Virgin Mobile USA HAC certified phone, combine the M
rating of your hearing aid and the M rating of this phone. For
example, if you pair an M3 hearing aid with an M4 phone, you
will achieve a combined rating of 7.
• Any combined rating equal to or greater than 6 provides
excellent performance.
• Any combined rating equal to 5 offers good performance.
• Any combined rating equal to 4 offers acceptable
performance.
T-Ratings—Phones rated T3 or T4 meet FCC requirements and
are likely to be more usable with a hearing device’s telecoil (“T
Switch” or “Telephone Switch”) than unrated phones. T4 is the
better/higher of the two ratings. (Note that not all hearing
devices have telecoils in them.)