Today's Regulatory Mix: COVID-19 Telehealth Applications Now Accepted Only Through Online Portal, Senators Propose $4 Billion in E-Rate Funding

COVID-19 Telehealth Applications Now Accepted Only Through Online Portal

In a Public Notice, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announced that beginning May 2, 2020 the COVID-19 Telehealth Program will no longer accept PDF form applications by email for the Program.

Going forward, all applications for the Program must be submitted through the online application portal available at: https://www.fcc.gov/covid-19-telehealthprogram.  On April 2, 2020, the FCC established the COVID-19 Telehealth Program to provide $200 million in immediate support to eligible health care providers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by funding eligible services and devices.

Inteserra Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 4/20/20.

Senators Propose $4 Billion in E-Rate Funding 

Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) announced that they plan to increase their request in upcoming legislation aimed at ensuring all K-12 students have adequate home internet connectivity and devices during the coronavirus pandemic.  The Senators previously announced their intention to introduce the Senate companion to legislation, the Emergency Educational Connections Act, recently introduced by Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-06) in the House of Representatives.  The Senators plan to introduce companion legislation but will make one important change: increasing the appropriation from $2 billion to $4 billion.  Education groups had originally identified the $2 billion figure believing the crisis would last only through this academic year.  As more educators have come to realize the crisis will last far longer, need has only increased. 

“The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated our existing ‘homework gap’ and spurred a growing ‘learning gap’ that will have a lasting impact on America’s children,” said the Senators in a joint statement.  “Given the magnitude of this pandemic and its effects on teaching, we must increase our investment beyond $2 billion to $4 billion.  Our students come first, and we cannot allow any of them to fall behind as a result of this crisis.  We are proud to enjoy the support of more than 50 organizations that focus every day on educating and protecting our nation’s youth.”

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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.