Digital Health Symposium: Advancing Broadband Connectivity as a Social Determinant of Health

The Federal Communications Commission’s Connect2Health Task Force hosted this virtual event which gathered public and private sector thought leaders from a variety of disciplines, including telecommunications and health care, to discuss issues around recognizing broadband connectivity as a “social determinant of health.” Social determinants of health reflect the fact that health begins where we live, learn, work, and play; they are the non-medical factors (including education, health care access, income, and employment) that affect health or can serve as a predictor of one’s health status. Participants also explored the implications of this framework for national broadband policies, population health, and government-wide efforts to address health inequities. Achieving digital health equity through improving broadband access and adoption is an FCC priority and was an overarching theme of this event.

Participants, among other things:

• elicited and discussed perspectives and identifed insights on broadband connectivity as a social determinant of health;
• explored the future of broadband-enabled health technologies (e.g., home hospital) and how FCC policies and programs could support ongoing innovations within the social determinants of health framework;
• identified seminal literature and data sources and future research needs; and
• framed a call-to-action for additional research and a policy roadmap to support and establish broadband connectivity as a social determinant of health domain.

See the Public Notice for additional details, including the event agenda and panelists.

Questions

For event questions, contact the Connect2Health^FCC Task Force by e-mail at connect2health@fcc.gov, and insert “Symposium Question” in the subject line. For press inquiries, please contact Katie Gorscak, FCC Office of Media Relations, by e-mail at Katie.Gorscak@fcc.gov.

Related Materials

• Agenda and Panelists
• Speaker Biographies and Photos
• Meeting Announcement
• Advancing Broadband Connectivity as a Social Determinant of Health
• Connect2Health^FCC Task Force Home Page
• Presentation

Video Recordings

• Entire Symposium
• WELCOME: Remarks, Introductions, and Program Overview
• PANEL 1: Current Perspectives—Relationship Between Broadband and Health
• FIRESIDE CHAT: The Value Proposition of Broadband Connectivity in Health
• PANEL 2: How Connectivity is Enhancing Health and Transforming Health Care; Emerging Technologies and Innovations
• PANEL 3: Connecting the Dots—Establishing Broadband Connectivity as a Social Determinant of Health Domain
• PANEL 4: Looking Ahead—Implications of Broadband Connectivity as a Social Determinant of Health Domain on Government Policies, Clinical Care, and Health Equity
• PANEL 5: Next Steps—A Focus on Broadband and Health Data and Social Determinants of Health Research and Closing Remarks
• YouTube Playlist: All 8 Videos