Federal Communications Commission	"FCC  XX-XXX"


STATEMENT OF
ACTING CHAIRWOMAN JESSICA ROSENWORCEL

Re: 	Promoting Telehealth for Low-Income Consumers, WC Docket No. 18-213, Second Report and Order (June 17, 2021)

We have been changed by this pandemic.  It is not just those we have lost to this cruel virus.  It is the way it has upended daily life and moved so much of it online.  Healthcare is a good example.  It has been forever altered by this experience, with many of us now accustomed to engaging with nurses and doctors through broadband-enabled video from the comfort of our homes.  This period has proven it is now possible to monitor, manage, and assess a range of ailments using connected care—and get good results.   
To explore what this future of healthcare can mean, the Federal Communications Commission established the Connected Care Pilot Program.  This $100 million program is designed to provide funding for projects to help healthcare providers connect to their patients, especially through projects that serve low-income consumers or veterans.  Today, we provide the guidance that participants in this program need to begin their projects.  This includes clarifying what equipment and services are eligible, providing details regarding the competitive bidding process, and explaining just how reimbursement will work.  
This administrative guidance is important.  It’s also important to celebrate the second round of support through this program that we are announcing separately today.  We have 36 new participants receiving a total of over $31 million in assistance.  They include projects in a diverse set of urban and rural locations—including 22 states and the District of Columbia.  I’m particularly heartened that many of these projects will focus on treating high-risk pregnancy and maternal health, an area that needs improvement and I am hopeful that connected care can help.  In addition, other projects are designed to provide care for opioid dependency, mental health, and chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.  I’m looking forward to the good these projects can do and just as importantly what we can learn from this effort.    
Thank you to the team in our Bureaus and Offices working on these issues, including Matt Baker, Bryan Boyle, Adam Copeland, Rashann Duvall, Abdel Eqab, Veronica Garcia-Ulloa, Trent Harkrader, Clint Highfill, India McGee, Kris Monteith, Kiara Ortiz, Nick Page,  Ryan Palmer, Negheen Sanjar, Joe Schlingbaum, and Hayley Steffen in the Wireline Competition Bureau; Patrick Brogan, Chelsea Fallon, Joanna Fister, Kenneth Hill, Tanner Hinkel, Stacy Jordan, Eugene Kiselev, Giulia McHenry, Eric Ralph, Steve Rosenberg, Michelle Schaefer, and Emily Talaga in the Office of Economics and Analytics; Dan Daly, Mark Stevens, and Cara Voth in the Office of Managing Director; and Malena Barzilai, Rick Mallen, Linda Oliver, and Bill Richardson in the Office of General Counsel.



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