NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT November 17, 2014 Bartees Cox: 202-418-0509 E-mail: Bartees.Cox@fcc.gov CONNECT2HEALTH FCC TASK FORCE TO HOLD FIRST BROADBAND HEALTH ROUNDTABLE WITH UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH SYSTEM Beyond the Beltway Series: Charlottesville, Virginia (Nov. 18, 2014) — Broadband-Enabled Health Technologies on the Cutting Edge Washington, D.C. – Today, the FCC's Connect2Health Task Force announced plans to hold roundtables, conferences and town hall meetings outside Washington, D.C., as part of its "Beyond the Beltway Series" to leverage broadband technologies and next-generation communications services to improve access to health care services regardless of socio-economic background or geographical location. Joined by Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, the Task Force, will hold its first roundtable at the University of Virginia Center for Telehealth Tuesday, November, 18, 2014. The event will focus on the intersection of broadband-enabled technologies and the provision of medical care, particularly in rural and underserved areas. The event will also serve as a forum for discussion about the broader social and economic benefits of broadband-enabled health care beyond traditional hospital settings. The University of Virginia’s Center for Telehealth will demonstrate their telemedicine program, including telestroke and tele-obstetrics, and describe the critical role that the FCC's Rural Health Care funding program has had on their successful efforts. 1 In addition, the Task Force seeks to gather information about the status of broadband connectivity and military veterans' access to telehealth services in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The conference will include the following participants, in addition to other invited guests: Mignon Clyburn, FCC Commissioner Karen R. Jackson, Secretary of Technology, Commonwealth of Virginia Dr. William A. Hazel Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Commonwealth of Virginia Dr. Richard P. Shannon, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, University of Virginia Pamela M. Sutton-Wallace, Chief Executive Officer, University of Virginia Medical Center Dr. Karen S. Rheuban, Director, University of Virginia Center for Telehealth P. Michele Ellison, FCC Deputy General Counsel & Chair, Connect2Health FCC Task Force Dr. Michael Chris Gibbons, FCC Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence Due to limited seating, the event in Charlottesville will be broadcast (and captioned) online at www.fcc.gov/live. Details of upcoming events will be announced as they become available, including on 1 The Rural Health Care Program (RHC), which includes the Healthcare Connect Fund, provides funding to eligible health care providers for broadband services necessary for the provision of health care. Additional information about the RHC is available on the FCC's website at http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/rural-health-care. its website at http://www.fcc.gov/health. In addition, FCC staff will be live tweeting the event from @FCC, using #FCCConnect2Health and #C2HFCC. For additional information about this event, please contact Bartees Cox at (202) 418-0509 or via e-mail at Bartees.Cox@fcc.gov. For additional information about the Connect2Health FCC Task Force, please visit its website at http://www.fcc.gov/health. Any questions for the Task Force should be sent to connect2health@fcc.gov. About the Connect2Health FCC Task Force The Connect2Health FCC Task Force is a senior-level, multi-disciplinary Task Force that was created by Chairman Tom Wheeler. 2 Recognizing that technology innovations in clinical practice and care delivery are poised to fundamentally change the face of health care, and building on the 2010 National Broadband Plan, 3 the Task Force is charged with exploring the intersection of broadband, advanced technology, and health. The Task Force focuses on further charting the broadband future of health care in order to ensure that the FCC stays ahead of the health technology curve. The Task Force also serves as an umbrella for all FCC health-oriented activities, including efforts to promote effective policy and regulatory solutions that encourage broadband adoption and promote health IT; to identify regulatory barriers and incentives to the deployment of broadband networks to enable advanced health care technologies and services; and to raise consumer awareness about the value proposition of broadband in the health care sector and its potential for addressing health care disparities. The Task Force will continue to engage a diverse array of traditional and non-traditional stakeholders to identify emerging issues and opportunities in the broadband health space. -FCC- 2 See News Release, "FCC Chairman Announces New Connect2HealthFCC Task Force" (rel. March 4, 2014), available at http://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-chairman-announces-new-connect2health-task-force. 3 See Federal Communications Commission, Omnibus Broadband Initiative, Connecting America: the National Broadband Plan, Chapter 10 (re broadband for health), at 197-222 (rel. March 16, 2010), available at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-296935A1.pdf.