Feds Fail At Funding Parity for Telehealth For Urban People

11,944,370 urban residents have no access to telehealth but Federal agencies earmark billions for broadband and telehealth grants targeted to 3,829,802 rural communities. Urban communities want grant parity with rural.

No broadband, no telehealth! Yet FCC finances broadband through the $20 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund but no urban fund. They award $4.15 billion for broadband in schools that's weighted to rural. Their Rural Heath Care Program has over $1 billion, while the Senate wants to add another $2 billion. Where‘s the urban healthcar parity?

Angela Seifer, Executive Director for the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, joins us to discuss strategies for reaching parity in broadband and telehealth spending:

• identifying disparity in current broadband and telehealth  
• new funding coming from US House and Senate  
• expected benefits from funding parity