Remarks of FCC Commissioner Clyburn at 2016 California Telehealth Network Annual Summit

While broadband is completely changing when, how, and where medical care takes place, a persistent digital divide too often means that millions lack access to these advanced offerings which in turn means that all of us will be denied those benefits. In the past, I have spoken about the Federal Communications Commission’s three-pronged approach when it comes to addressing these issues: universal access, spectrum allocation, and collaboration. Today, I would like to share what I trust are novel thoughts, on how we can strengthen and expand our efforts to meet the needs, of both consumers and health care stakeholders today and for the future. Ultimately, this all starts with ubiquitous access to broadband, without which none of this would be possible.

The FCC's Connect2HealthFCC Task Force is also working to better understand local broadband health care ecosystems and what gaps and challenges remain. In the next month or so, The Task Force plans to launch a nationwide mapping tool that takes a unique approach to overlaying and integrating broadband and health data, down to the county level. For example, the map will help us to better understand where infrastructure gaps, poor health outcomes, and limited health care access coincide. At the end of the day, we all have to prioritize and it is critical to identify the areas, where public/private partnerships can get the biggest bang for the buck.


Remarks of FCC Commissioner Clyburn at 2016 California Telehealth Network Annual Summit