Technology, Communications & Media

On September 3, 2020, the FCC released a Public Notice providing additional guidance to prospective applicants who may wish to seek funding under the FCC’s Connected Care Pilot Program for connected care services.  As we previously reported, that program will make $100 million available over three years to help defray health care providers’ costs of providing connected care services, with a particular emphasis on supporting those services for low-income Americans and veterans.

We’ve written previously about the role of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in regulating wireless medical devices, chiefly in determining the operating frequency and certain technical rules that ensure co-existence with other devices and wireless users. As part of that process, manufacturers must submit prototypes of new devices for testing and review by independent third party test labs and certification bodies (TCBs). The FCC prohibits responsible parties, such as manufacturers and resellers, from importing, marketing, or selling any device subject to this equipment approval process prior to obtaining approval from a TCB, which comes in the form of a grant of equipment certification.

In preparation for accepting applications for funding under the its COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which will make available $200 million in appropriated funds to support telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic, the FCC has released a Public Notice with guidance on how eligible health care providers can ready themselves to participate. The FCC will release a separate Public Notice shortly announcing the date it will begin accepting applications for funding. Applications will be accepted through an online portal, the web address and opening date for which will also be posted on the FCC’s Keep Americans Connected page.