FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announces new CONNECT2HEALTHFCC Task Force

FCC

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced the formation of a new Commission Task Force called CONNECT2HEALTHFCC that will bring together the expertise of the FCC on the “critical intersection of broadband, advanced technology, and health.” Furthermore, the Task Force will also consider ways to accelerate the adoption of health care technologies by leveraging broadband and other communications services.

Michele Ellison was named as Chair of the Task Force and she will work hand in hand with the leadership of the Commission and the Chiefs of the Wireline and Wireless Bureaus and Office of Engineering and Technology. In addition, Ms. Ellison will also collaborate with public and private stakeholders in the health care and technology space.

“The Commission’s top priority must be to make networks work for everyone. Broadband itself is not the goal – it’s what broadband enables,” FCC Chairman Wheeler said. “We must leverage all available technologies to ensure that advanced health care solutions are readily accessible to all Americans, from rural and remote areas to underserved inner cities. By identifying regulatory barriers and incentives and building stronger partnerships with stakeholders in the areas of tele-health, mobile applications, and tele-medicine, we can expedite this vital shift.”

Ms. Ellison has served as Chief of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau since 2009. Under her leadership, the Commission took consistent and aggressive action to enforce the Communications Act and the Commission’s rules – issuing more than $300 million in proposed penalties and settlements and taking nearly 6000 enforcement actions. She maintained a strategic focus on consumer protection and public safety issues as well as on disability rights, spectrum, and competition enforcement. Ms. Ellison also served as Chief of Staff during Commissioner Clyburn’s tenure as Chairwoman and previously led the agency’s legal team as Acting General Counsel.