May 22, 2020
Background: Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), John Boozman (R-AR), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angus King (I-ME), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Ed Markey (D-MA) today introduced the ‘Health Care Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act.’
The bill expands the FCC’s Rural Health Care Program, which offers funding to eligible health care providers for telecommunications and broadband services. The bill expands the program to include urban and suburban health care providers and invests an additional $2 billion in the program over the next nine months. Rural providers continue to have access to the vital program and their eligibility will not change under the bipartisan legislation.
The following statement can be attributed to Jonathan Spalter, USTelecom’s president and CEO:
“Senators Schatz, Murkowski, Boozman, Peters, King, Sullivan, Cramer and Markey are right to focus on ways Congress can invest now to increase connectivity-based health care solutions during this emergency. Investing in broadband powered telehealth can transform and expand access to vital health care services. Like the companion legislation introduced by Reps. Eshoo and Young in the House, this plan recognizes that all of our country’s hospital systems and health care providers – no matter their zip code – should have cutting edge broadband and digital technology to diagnose and treat patients.”
Check out USTelecom’s ‘5 Tips for Telehealth’ with ways to connect to broadband powered health care.