Pai Circulating Plans for $300M of Telehealth

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is circulating plans for some $300 million of telehealth spending. One plan is for $200 million and would support healthcare providers' telehealth services to fight the coronavirus, under the Cares Act. The rest of the money is for the agency's connected care pilot. It would use USF money over three years.

Pai noted Commissioner Brendan Carr's work on the latter telehealth issue. To get some of the money, Carr said that eligible healthcare providers "would submit a streamlined application" and the agency "would award funds to selected applicants on a rolling basis until the funds are exhausted or until the current pandemic has ended."

"As we self-isolate and engage in social distancing," telehealth becomes "more important across the country," Pai said in Monday's announcement. Healthcare "providers are under incredible, and still increasing, strain as they fight the pandemic," he added.