SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) released a new logo for the potential new category of over-the-counter hearing aids for consumers with mild to moderate hearing loss. CTA unveiled the new logo at the annual convention of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), held last week in Salt Lake City, Utah.
According to the organization’s press release, the logo was developed and approved by CTA, which is an ANSI-accredited standards development organization. The idea behind the new logo and standard, according to CTA, is that it will “help consumers distinguish high-quality hearing enhancement devices for mild to moderate hearing loss from the cheap, ineffective personal amplifiers commonly found today”.
“The new logo and standard mark another important milestone in the evolution of wearable hearing devices. With the industry agreeing on a common standard and logo, we can now better help the almost 40 million Americans who live with some form of hearing loss. In addition to educating consumers about these revolutionary over-the-counter hearing enhancement solutions, this logo and standard give Congress and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pre-packaged information and guidelines as they explore creating a new class of over-the-counter hearing aids.” –Gary Shapiro, CTA President and CEO
The Personal Sound Amplification Performance Criteria standard (ANSI/CTA-2051), created by CTA, sets minimum performance requirements for devices to be distinguished as providing high-quality amplification enhancement. The organization says the goal of the logo and standard is to “assure the FDA and consumers” that manufacturers who create devices to meet this standard have built high-quality, reliable, over-the-counter hearing devices.
The new OTC hearing device “Seal of Approval” logo unveiled by CTA
According to Poppy Crum, Chief Scientist at Dolby Laboratories and Co-Chair for development of the new standard, “It is all part of closing the existing gap between technological device capability and consumer reach. The standard and logo empower the consumer and give insight to the performance capabilities of the device in a simple way — setting a bar where the consumer will be assured a quality experience in a device class that has long been mired by heterogeneity in performance.”
“The CTA logo is an important seal of approval,” said Barbara Kelley, Executive Director of HLAA.
Source: CTA
“setting a bar where the consumer will be assured a quality experience in a device class that has long been mired by heterogeneity in performance.”
That sentence is ‘mired’ in a serious lack of calrity – which is probably the point of the thing anyway.
now that these devices are in, its a simple matter of selling them. No consultations are necessary, except for the hearing test, which we know by now is a formality. I hope there will nothing like 45 day trial period, and refunds, just like optical glasses!
Over the counter requires a hearing test? Should be a return period as if you don’t have the right unit, you need to get the right one just like optical glasses.
No test, no FDA flags, no otoscopy or referral. No anything, not even a hearing aid meets their needs. Eighty five percent of the hearing impaired market and a sizable chunk of the hearing field is about to be ambushed.
No amount of “manufacturing standards” will have iota of good if these are not fitted properly. For certain, a hearing aid at any price is too high if it doesn’t meet the needs of the individual user. HLAA has pushed for a most myopic regulation that will hurt consumers and cause significant loss of jobs all over the industry as unlicensed dispensers and foreign electronics corporations take over the hearing aud field. It’s amazing what lobbyist money can do. We know how much Liz Warren and others were paid to sponsor this erstwhile bill. The question is how much the HLAA was paid to push for this Trojan Horse.