FCC Explores Broadband Connectivity Role in Maternal Health Outcomes

The Federal Communications Commission announced an important update to its Mapping Broadband Health in America platform to incorporate maternal health data, enabling policymakers, public health experts, clinicians, researchers, innovators, and other public and private stakeholders to better explore the intersection of broadband and maternal health. This tool is the latest step in the FCC’s efforts to explore the role of broadband connectivity in improving maternal health. The US is the only developed country with increasing maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity rates, and research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that many of these deaths and complications are preventable. Furthermore, this nationwide crisis disproportionately impacts Non-Hispanic Black and American Indian/Alaska Native pregnant women at almost two to three times the rate of Non-Hispanic white pregnant women. Similarly, pregnant women living in rural areas without access to appropriate health care providers are 60% more likely to die than women living in non-rural areas. Through this latest broadband health data effort, the Mapping Broadband Health in America platform allows users to generate customized maps and view the intersection of broadband connectivity, maternal health outcomes, and selected risk factors in a number of ways. Specifically, the public can use this platform to:

• Intersect broadband data and maternal mortality or severe maternal morbidity rates at the state level.
• Determine how connectivity and access to obstetric care coincide at the county level, revealing “double burden” counties with high health need and lower connectivity resources.
• View connectivity metrics (e.g., internet adoption, download speed) and maternal health data filtered by rurality, race/ethnicity, and maternal age to visualize patterns, possible disparities, and areas where broadband-enabled interventions could create the greatest impact.
• Visualize the intersection of broadband and mental health provider shortages, given the association between mental health and poor maternal health outcomes.