Today's Regulatory Mix: Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act Introduced, Bill to Help State, Local Prisons Test and Treat COVID-19 Introduced, FCC Announces Opening of COVID-19 Telehealth Application Portal

Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act Introduced

House Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) and Representative Don Young (R-AK) announced the introduction of H.R. 6474, the Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act, a bipartisan bill to provide $2 billion to expand telehealth and high-quality internet connectivity at public and nonprofit healthcare facilities, including mobile clinics and temporary health facilities deployed to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. 

“The coronavirus has only increased the need for high-quality and reliable internet connectivity as healthcare is increasingly delivered through telehealth and healthcare professionals depend on broadband for every aspect of their operations” said Rep. Eshoo. “The Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act ensures healthcare providers around the country can afford internet connectivity as they respond to the worst pandemic of our lifetimes.” 

“Access to dependable, patient-centered healthcare is essential to the well-being of Alaskans, and is especially vital in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Rep. Young. “As technology has advanced, so too has the delivery of healthcare. Telehealth is a proven healthcare delivery method, but requires access to reliable broadband connectivity. The Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act takes crucially needed steps to ensure that healthcare providers in Alaska and across the country have the internet access they need to keep our communities safe.” 

Bill to Help State, Local Prisons Test, Treat COVID-19 Introduced 

Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), announced they will introduce the COVID–19 Correctional Facility Emergency Response Act. The bill will help state and local governments provide COVID-19 testing and treatment for individuals in state and local correctional facilities.  Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) introduced companion legislation in the House.  Last month, Senator Booker introduced a bill that would move thousands of vulnerable people in federal facilities out of prison to better protect them from the pandemic. 

The Act would: 

• Provide states and local correctional facilities with funds to test and treat COVID-19 for all arrestees, detainees and inmates.  
• Provide funds for COVID–19 testing for correctional facility staff, volunteers, visitors, attorneys, court personnel that have contact with detainees and inmates, law enforcement officers who transport detainees and inmates and personnel outside the correctional facility who provide medical treatment to detainees and inmates. 
• Incentivize states to adopt programs that facilitate the reduction in the number of arrestees, detainees and inmates by curtailing booking and in-facility processing for individuals who have committed technical parole or probation violations and provide transition and reentry support services to individuals released. 
• Authorizes a new grant program to adopt cite-and-release procedures for individuals who are suspected of committing misdemeanor and felony offenses and who do not pose a risk of serious danger to the community. 
• Authorizes $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 and 2022 to implement these programs. 

“Correctional facilities have already started to become COVID-19 hotspots, and we must be more aggressive in stopping the spread of this virus in prisons and jails,” Senator Feinstein said. “Confined spaces and close quarters leave everyone vulnerable. We need to ensure that correctional facilities have everything they need to test and treat staff, inmates and detainees for COVID-19 as well as take other measures to prevent the virus’ spread. This is a public health emergency and we must protect everyone, including preventing a potential crisis in our correctional facilities.” 

“For people behind bars, contracting COVID-19 can be tantamount to a death sentence,” Senator Booker said. “Those in prison and jail tend to have much higher rates of underlying health issues than the general public, and the conditions of confinement make social distancing virtually impossible. The vast majority of these individuals are behind bars in state and local jails, so it’s critical that we provide states with the appropriate incentives and resources to fully and compassionately address this public health crisis. New Jersey has led the way with this approach and this legislation will hopefully spur other states to follow suit.” 

“The risk factors for COVID-19 spreading in prisons and jails are abundantly clear – close quarters, a large number of individuals who are medically vulnerable, and a limited availability of treatment,” Chairman Nadler said. “We must give states and local governments critical funding assistance to prevent the spread of this disease in these facilities, to test and treat inmates and those working in prisons, and to promote the reduction in prison populations so that fewer people are put at risk. These steps are urgently needed and are the right thing to do and I am pleased that Senators Feinstein and Booker are introducing the Senate companion to my House bill." 

FCC Announces Opening of COVID-19 Telehealth Application Portal 

The FCC issued a Public Notice announcing its COVID-19 telehealth program application portal will open today, April 13, 2020.  The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau will be accepting applications for the program.  The COVID-19 Telehealth Program will provide $200 million in funding, appropriated by Congress as part of the CARES Act, to help health care providers furnish connected care services to patients at their homes or mobile locations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Applications can be filed through a dedicated online application portal.   

“The FCC is moving quickly to distribute this funding to help health care providers and patients across the country during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Chairman Pai.  “Given the importance of social distancing, telehealth is more important than ever, so we are pleased to do our part to help healthcare providers purchase telecommunications, broadband connectivity, and devices necessary for providing connected care.” 

Inteserra Briefing Service subscribers stay tuned for the upcoming Briefing. 

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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.