Health and Media

Communications technology-enabled solutions that can play an important role in the transformation of healthcare. Media coverage of health issues. And the impact of various media on health.

Remarks Of Commissioner Geoffrey Starks Before Ericsson's Broadband For All Online Conference

As we continue to work to bring the pandemic to a close, I am already thinking about the lessons we have learned that should influence how we work toward the goal of broadband for all:

FCC Announces Second Set of Connected Care Pilot Program Projects

A second set of projects selected for the Connected Care Pilot Program were announced by the Federal Communications Commission on June 17.

June Open Meeting Agenda

Here's what the Federal Communications Commission will consider at its June 2021 open meeting.

The social predictors of coronavirus vaccination rates

Where you live, how educated you are, whether you have health insurance and whether you have access to the internet are all correlated with how likely you are to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. None of these factors has anything to do directly with an individual's risk. Instead, this emphasizes, yet again, the powerful role played by social determinants of health.

To Bridge The Digital Divide, Biden Administration Launches Vaccine Hotline

To help overcome the digital divide, the Biden Administration has launched a new vaccination assistance hotline for people who would prefer to get information via telephone. It's part of the administration's push to get 70% of adults in the U.S. vaccinated with at least one dose by July 4. "We know that millions of people in America don't have consistent access to broadband or are uncomfortable navigating the web," wrote Dr. Marcella Nunez Smith, who chairs the Biden administration's COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force.

Senate Commerce Committee Advances Broadband Bills

The Senate Commerce Committee approved a number of bills and nominations in executive session including two of particular interest:

The National Urban League's Approach to Digital Equity

On March 31, the National Urban League released the Lewis Latimer Plan for Digital Equity and Inclusion, a collaborative work aimed at addressing the digital divide. If you have the time, follow the link above and give the full report a read. If not, here's the executive summary.

USDA Seeks Applications for Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) program grants to help provide educational and medical services in rural areas. The DLT program helps fund distance learning and telemedicine services in rural areas to increase access to education, training, and health care resources that are otherwise limited or unavailable. USDA plans to make $44.5 million available in fiscal year 2021. Of this amount, $10.2 million is intended for projects that provide substance use disorder treatment services in rural areas.

Net Neutrality Scramble Spells Fights to Come

The Biden administration and California attorney general’s office are now trying to hash out how to resolve lingering uncertainty about the operation of a telehealth app called VA Video Connect. The federal Veterans Affairs Department raised concerns about the app’s future because wireless carriers subsidize its data usage costs for veterans in ways that a new California net neutrality law forbids (a situation, ISPs say, that could imperil offerings beyond just California).

FCC's Spending Plan for the Funds from the CARES Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021

A spending plan from the Federal Communications Commission in accordance with section 15011(b)(1)(B) of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), Pub. L. No 116-136, as amended by Title VIII of Division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Pub. L. No. 116-260. The requirement in section 15011 of the CARES Act states that each agency shall submit to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee a plan describing how the agency will use its covered funds.