FCC Clarifies That COVID-19 Telehealth Program Applicants May Use Updated Hotspot Data

To address the enduring nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Communications Commission clarifies that for the second round of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, applicants will receive points on their applications for being located in a hotspot or a sustained hotspot based on the relevant dataset as of either (1) May 6, 2021, the date when the application filing window closed, or (2) November 19, 2021, the date when the ten-day resubmission period closes. Applicants must indicate the address and county of the eligible health care provider they would like to be considered for this metric, and the FCC directs the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to incorporate this information as part of its review of the remaining applications.