Telecommunications for the Disabled Act of 1982
PL 97-410 (S.2355), enacted 01/03/1983

PUBLIC LAW 97-410—JAN. 3, 1983 
96 STAT. 2043 
Public Law 97-410 
97th Congress 
An Act 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide reasonable access to telephone 
service for persons with impaired hearing and to enable telephone companies to 
accommodate persons with other physical disabilities. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act mav 
be cited as the "Telecommunications for the Disabled Act of 1982 . 
SEC. 2. The Congress finds that— 
(1) all persons should have available the best telephone serv-
ice which is technologically and economically feasible; 
(2) currently available technology is capable of providing 
telephone service to some individuals who, because of hearing 
impairments, require telephone reception by means of hearing 
aids with induction coils, or other inductive receptors; 
(3) the lack of technical standards ensuring compatibility 
between hearing aids and telephones has prevented receipt of 
the best telephone service which is technologically and economi-
cally feasible; and 
(4) adoption of technical standards is required in order to 
ensure compatibility between telephones and hearing aids, 
thereby accommodating the needs of individuals with hearing 
impairments. 
SEC. 3. Title VI of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 601 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new 
section: 
"TELEPHONE SERVICE FOR THE DISABLED 
"SEC. 610. (a) The Commission shall establish such regulations as 
are necessary to ensure reasonable access to telephone service by 
persons with impaired hearing. 
"Q3) The Commission shall require that essential telephones pro-
vide internal means for effective use with hearing aids that are 
specially designed for telephone use. For purposes of this subsection, 
the term 'essential telephones' means only coin-operated telephones, 
telephones provided for emergency use, and other telephones fre-
quently needed for use by persons using such hearing aids. 
"(c) The Commission shall establish or approve such technical 
standards as are required to enforce this section. 
"(d) The Commission shall establish such requirements for the 
labeling of packaging materials for equipment as are needed to 
provide adequate information to consumers on the compatibility 
between telephones and hearing aids. 
"(e) In any rulemaking to implement the provisions of this section, 
the (Jommission shall specifically consider the costs and benefits to 
all telephone users, including persons with and without hearing 
impairments. The Commission shall ensure that regulations adopted 
to implement this section encourage the use of currently available 
technology and do not discourage or impair the development of 
improved technology. 
Jan. 3, 1983 
[8.2355] 
Telecommunica-
tions for the 
Disabled Act 
of 1982. 
47 u s e 609 note. 
47 u s e 610 note. 
Regulations. 
47 u s e 610. 
"Essential 
telephones." 
96 STAT. 2044 
PUBLIC LAW 97-410—JAN. 3, 1983 
Review. 
Enforcement. 
47 use 396 note. 
95 Stat. 725. 
Directors, terms 
of office. 
47 use 396. 
"(f) The Commission shall complete rulemaking actions required 
by this section and issue specific and detailed rules and regulations 
resulting therefrom within one year after the date of enactment of 
the Telecommunications for the Disabled Act of 1982. Thereafter the 
Commission shall periodically review such rules and regulations. 
Except for coin-operated telephones and telephones provided for 
emergency use, the Commission may not require the retrofitting of 
equipment to achieve the purposes of this section. 
**(g) Any common carrier or connecting carrier may provide spe-
cialized terminal equipment needed by persons whose hearing, 
speech, vision, or mobility is impaired. The State commission may 
allow the carrier to recover in its tariffs for regulated service 
reasonable and prudent costs not chained directly to users of such 
equipment. 
"(h) The Conomission shall del^ate to each State commission the 
authority to enforce within such State compliance with the specific 
r^ulations that the Commission issues under subsections (a) and (b), 
conditioned upon the adoption and enforcement of such regulations 
by the State commission.". 
SEC. 4. Subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) of section 1225(a) of the 
Public Broadcasting Amendments Act of 1981 is amended to read as 
follows: 
"(B) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (c) of section 396 
of the Communications Act of 1934, in the case of the offices of 
director the terms of which expired March 1982, persons appointed 
to fill two of such vacancies existing as of December 13, 1982, shall 
be appointed for terms which shall expire on March 1, 1984 and 
shall not be respresentative of the political party having a majority 
of the directors of the Board on December 13, 1982. Persons 
appointed for a term banning March 1, 1984, to fill the vacancies 
occurring in such offices the terms of which, by reeison of the 
preceding sentence, expire on March 1, 1984, shall not be filled by 
persons representing the political party having a msgority of the 
directors of the Bocu^ on March 1, 1984. Persons appointed on or 
after March 1,1984, to fill vacancies in the two such offices shall be 
appointed for terms of five years. On March 1, 1984, there are 
abolished those five offices of director the terms of which, without 
application of the preceding provisions of this paragraph, expire on 
such date. In administering the provisions of this paragraph a 
A'i 
t|ii«fo 
PUBLIC LAW 97-410—JAN. 3, 1983 
96 STAT. 2045 
director is a minority member of the Board if he is not a member of 
the political party to which the majority of the directors of the 
Board are members.". 
SEC. 5. The Communications Satellite Act of 1962, as amended (47 
U.S.C. 701 et seq.), is amended by deleting the second sentence of 
section 304(bX2) of such Act. 
4
7 use 734. 
Approved January 3, 1983. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 2355: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 97-888 (Comm. on Energy and Commerce). 
SENATE REPORT No. 97-503 (Comm. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 128 (1982): 
Aug. 18, considered and passed Senate. 
Dec. 13, considered and passed House, amended. 
Dec. 16, Senate concurred in House amendments with an amendment. 
Dec. 18, House concurred in Senate amendment.