WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU COMPLETES INITIAL PHASE OF COVID-19 TELEHEALTH PROGRAM ROUND 2 AWARDS AND COMMENCES TEN-DAY RESUBMISSION PERIOD

75 Health Care Providers Receive Critical Support for Telehealth and Connected Care Services in the Initial Phase

WC Docket No. 20-89

Today, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) approves the fourth group of funding commitments under Round 2 of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Telehealth Program (Program) and commits $42,163,705 in funding to 75 health care providers across the Nation.[1]  The funding commitments made today will provide critical support to health care providers on the front lines in the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  A full list of the funding awardees is included in Appendix A of this Public Notice. 

This Public Notice completes the initial commitment phase of the Program.  All Program applicants that did not receive funding commitments as part of this initial phase may supplement their applications during the ten-day resubmission period, which will close on Friday, November 19, at 5 PM ET.

The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) established the Program in April 2020 pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act[2] to provide $200 million in emergency funding to health care providers for telehealth and connected care services in response to COVID-19.[3]  To build on the Program’s success, Congress appropriated $249.95 million in additional funding in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.[4]  On March 30, 2021, the Commission released the Second COVID-19 Report and Order,[5] which initiated Round 2 of the Program by adopting additional requirements and processes to implement Congressional direction and improve Program administration.  Applications for Round 2 were accepted from April 29, 2021, through May 6, 2021.[6]  

As the Commission established in the Second COVID-19 Report and Order, funding for Round 2 of the Program is to be awarded in two phases.[7]  In the initial commitment phase, at least $150 million was to be awarded based in part on geographic considerations and on the objective evaluation metrics outlined in the Second COVID-19 Report and Order.[8]  To date, 280 awardees have received funding commitments for $165,726,081. 

All applicants that did not receive a funding commitment during the initial commitment phase will now have ten days to supplement their applications as required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act.[9]  Concurrent with the release of this Public Notice, the Bureau will send all such applicants an Intent to Deny Letter, stating their application’s score, the list of metrics for which the application is currently receiving points, and the reason that their application was not awarded funding during the initial commitment phase. 

The ten-day period will begin on Tuesday, November 9, and will end at 5 PM ET on Friday, November 19.  After the ten-day resubmission period, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) will re-rank the remaining applications, which will include an evaluation of all remaining unfunded Round 2 applications, regardless of whether an applicant has chosen to supplement its application.  The Bureau will then commit funding to the highest-scoring remaining applications. $92,082,563 is available for the second and final commitment window.[10]  Because the ten-day period is specified by statute, waivers of this deadline will not be granted.[11]

A more complete guide for applicants to supplement their applications is attached to this Public Notice.[12]  The guide can also be accessed at https://www.usac.org/about/covid-19-telehealth-program/covid-19-telehealth-program-application-resources/supplementing-information-instructions/. 

For further information regarding this Public Notice, please contact Nathan Eagan, Attorney Advisor, Wireline Competition Bureau, Nathan.Eagan@fcc.gov or (202) 418-0991.  For more information about Round 2, refer to USAC’s website at www.usac.org/about/covid-19-telehealth-program.

For inquiries and support related to Round 2 invoicing, please contact Round2TelehlthInvoicSupp@FCC.gov.

-FCC-

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX  B

COVID-19 TELEHEALTH PROGRAM ROUND 2 –

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUPPLEMENTING APPLICATIONS

• Program applicants are not required to supplement their applications; applications will not lose any points even if they are not supplemented. All remaining applications, regardless of whether they include supplemental information, will be considered for awards from the outstanding funding.
• Applications should only be supplemented with information that was not included in the original application. Only the application evaluation metrics may be supplemented; changes to funding requests may not be made. A list of the application metrics, and the corresponding points for the metrics, can be found on page 18 of the Commission’s Round 2 Report and Order.
• When deciding whether to supplement their applications, applicants should check to make sure that they did not omit any material information, e.g., location on Tribal land, from their original applications.
• Applicants may use the COVID-19 Hotspot data set from either May 6, 2021, or Friday, November 19, 2021 consistent with the Bureau’s Order: https://www.fcc.gov/edocs/search-results?t=advanced&daNo=21-1404.
• In order to supplement their applications, applicants should log in to their applications at www.fcc.gov/covid19telehealth between Tuesday, November 9 and Friday, November 19. During that period, when applicants log in to their application, they will have the opportunity to enter new information and attach relevant files. The deadline to supplement applications is 5 PM ET on Friday, November 19. Applicants may only supplement their applications during that time.
• Applicants may only submit supplemental information once, so they should make sure that they have included all relevant information before clicking “submit.”
  
• In order to claim application evaluation points for a metric that they did not claim on their initial application, applicants must enter:
  • The metric or metrics for which they wish to receive points, in the “Applicant Response” box. In the image below, the applicant is claiming additional points for being located (1) on Tribal land and (2) in a sustained hotspot, as indicated by the green arrows.
  • The additional points the applicant is claiming, in the “Adjustment Claim” box. In the image below, the applicant is claiming 30 addition points, with 15 for being located on Tribal lands and 15 for being located in a sustained hotspot, as indicated by the red rectangle.
  • Any information necessary to verify the applicant’s claim in the “Applicant Response” box. In the image below, the applicant would submit, at a minimum, the names and addresses of the eligible HCPs which the applicant is using to claim the relevant metric points. Applicants may also submit attachments using the paperclip icon, as indicated by the blue circle. Applicants should include the name of the metric(s) requested in the title of any new supporting attachments and describe the purpose of the attachments in the “Applicant Response” box.
  • Applicants can only submit information in these fields and through attachments. Applicants may not make direct changes elsewhere in the application.

• Applicants should reach out to Round2TelehealthApplicationSupport@usac.org with any questions.

[1] See FCC Announces Awards For Round 2 of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, WC Docket No. 20-89, Public Notices, DA 21-1052, 21-1221, and 21-1319 (WCB 2021).

[2] Promoting Telehealth for Low-Income Consumers; COVID-19 Telehealth Program, WC Docket Nos. 18-213, 20-89, Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd 3366 (2020) (First COVID-19 Report and Order); Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Pub. L. No 116-136, 134 Stat. 281 (2020) (CARES Act).

[3] From April 16, 2020, through July 8, 2020, the Commission fully obligated the $200 million by issuing awards on a rolling basis to 539 applications.  Press Release, FCC, FCC Approves Final Set of COVID-19 Telehealth Program Applications (July 8, 2020), https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-approves-final-set-covid-19-telehealth-program-applications.

[4] Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Pub. L. No:  116-260, Division N-Additional Coronavirus Response and Relief, Title IX-Broadband Internet Access Service, § 903 “FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program” (2020), available at https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/133/text (Consolidated Appropriations Act).

[5] COVID-19 Telehealth Program; Promoting Telehealth for Low-Income Consumers, WC Docket Nos. 20-89 and 18-213, Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration, 36 FCC Rcd 7141 (2021) (Second COVID-19 Report and Order).

[6] Wireline Competition Bureau Announces Application Filing Window for Round 2 of COVID-19 Telehealth Program Will Open April 29, 2021,WC Docket No. 20-89, Public Notice, 36 FCC Rcd 7321 (WCB 2021).

[7] Second COVID-19 Report and Order, 36 FCC Rcd at 7171-73, paras. 61-69.

[8] Second COVID-19 Report and Order, 36 FCC Rcd at 7157, para. 38.

[9] Consolidated Appropriations Act §§ 903(c)(5)(A)-(C); see also Second COVID-19 Report and Order, 36 FCC Rcd at 7171, para. 61.

[10] This amount is subject to change, pending additional de-obligations of remaining Round 1 funding.

[11] Consolidated Appropriations Act §§ 903(c)(5)(A)-(C).

[12] See Appendix B.