House Democrats Want Coronavirus Telehealth Fund Transparency

House Democrats are urging the Federal Communications Commission to be more transparent about its use of congressional coronavirus relief aid after healthcare providers reported difficulty obtaining funds earmarked for telehealth services.

House and Energy Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) Friday sent a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to express concern over “a lack of transparency” about the agency’s use of funds for its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. The lawmakers told Pai they’d heard reports “that many health care providers are facing issues obtaining funds, particularly those serving tribal lands.”

“Congressional oversight of the funding awards is critical, and the FCC must provide more public transparency of its decisions,” wrote Pallone and Doyle.

To provide that transparency, the lawmakers are urging the FCC to include on its website a docket containing all of the applications the agency has received for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. The lawmakers also asked for information on which applications were approved and the dates on which funds were dispersed.

Pallone and Doyle asked the agency to respond to their requests by June 19.

Awards given to healthcare providers come from the FCC’s $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program as part of Congress’ $2 trillion CARES Act, intended to provide emergency relief and support to public hospitals, community health centers, and other non-profit healthcare providers.

The FCC in an email said it has been “been administering this program in a transparent manner.”

“Going forward, our focus has been and must continue to be on processing all of the applications quickly and carefully, an effort that could be undercut if we turn our attention to creating a new system for posting pending applications,” the agency said.

As of this week, FCC has approved more than $100 million for over 300 health care providers across 42 states, plus Washington, D.C. The FCC posted a list of the healthcare providers approved this week, including how much each service was awarded and for what equipment and services the awards will be used.