Stepping Up to the Coronavirus Challenge

It might be hard to find hand sanitizer and toilet paper, but I’m happy to report that Internet access is proving to be one of the most valuable non-medical commodities right now. I’m committed to using every legal means at the Federal Communications Commission’s disposal to help Americans deal with the coronavirus pandemic. And so far, we’ve demonstrated that commitment in many notable ways. Most importantly, I developed the Keep Americans Connected pledge to make sure that nobody loses broadband and telephone service when they need it most. I also challenged our nation’s broadband and telephone service providers to go above and beyond the commitments in the Keep Americans Connected Pledge in order to meet the connectivity needs of the American people, and I’m grateful that many have done so. I’ve also been in touch with America’s television and radio broadcasters. As they long have done in times of crisis, they’ve committed to playing a key role in making sure the public is informed on how to respond to COVID-19. 

Beyond the Keep Americans Connected Pledge, the FCC has done a lot to cut through regulatory red tape and free up resources to enable access to communications for those impacted by COVID-19.

• To promote telehealth solutions for the patients of rural hospitals and clinics, the FCC voted to make an additional $42 million immediately available through our Rural Health Care Program.
• To preserve vital communications for individuals who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind, or have a speech disability, the FCC has granted temporary waivers that will allow American Sign Language interpreters to work from home and maintain relay services.
• To promote connectivity for hospitals and students, the FCC temporarily waived so-called “gift rules” so participants in its Rural Health Care and E-Rate programs can solicit and accept improved connections or additional equipment for telemedicine or remote learning.
• To help low-income consumers stay connected, the FCC temporarily waived certain requirements from our Lifeline program, which will ease burdens on Lifeline subscribers and allow Lifeline carriers to focus their efforts on assisting customers.
• To meet increased consumer demand for mobile broadband, the FCC granted temporary authority to AT&T, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon to use additional spectrum in the 600 MHz, AWS-3, and AWS-4 bands.
• To prevent possible disruptions in service, especially for rural consumers, the FCC granted a temporary extension to hundreds of wireless Internet service providers in the 3650-3700 MHz band to transition their existing operations to the Citizens Broadband Radio Service rules.
• To accommodate construction and delivery delays for television stations transitioning to new channels after the incentive auction, the FCC has agreed to provide more flexibility under the Transition Scheduling Plan.