Radio sell-off could wreck hearing aids
Threat from mobile phones, says charity
THOUSANDS could suffer problems with their hearing aids because of a Government sell-off of radio frequencies, a charity claims.
The National Deaf Children’s Society says the sale to mobile phone firms could leave too small a gap between bands.
Many hearing devices operate within the 2.40 to 2.485 GHz frequency range. But Ofcom is proposing to
GHzFEARS auction the 2.35 to 2.39 frequencies, leaving an inadequate protec- tion zone. The charity’s tech chief Chris Bowden said: “The testing so far is woefully insufficient and nowhere near enough to be able to give a true picture of the impact this will have. During testing, one hearing aid lost audio, two other devices stopped working completely and several radio aids experienced a 33% reduction in range. The charity is calling for Ofcom to postpone the auction until they can prove it will have no impact on the hearing-impaired. But an Ofcom spokesman said: “We’ve carried out careful tests of devices and sought evidence from across the deaf community to help ensure these devices won’t be affected. “We do not feel that alarmist predictions serve the interests of people who are deaf or hard of hearing.” A PENSIONER who shot dead his wife in a care home has been sentenced to six years in a psychiatric hospital.
Ronald King, who has Alzheimer’s, killed Rita, 81, with a vintage revolver. She had severe dementia.
King, 87, of Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, admitted manslaughter after the shooting at the nearby care home in December. He said he wanted to end her suffering. Judge Charles Gratwicke told him at Chelmsford crown court: “This was not a mercy killing in the sense the expression is mainly used.”