@mikeofcc with an important point-- @FCC doesn't just see TVWS as a short term solution to connectivity during COVID-19 but a long term solution. He notes the Commission is committed to making progress on TVWS rules this year.

@JRosenworcel echoes @mikeofcc's comments- it is time to really dig in to the issues holding back TVWS and unlicensed use of the 6ghz band.

@morganwreed notes that all this important work by the @FCC can't happen without more resources from Congress. @actmembers and millions of Americans need these services now more than ever.

Thank you to @mikeofcc and @JRosenworcel for joining us today!

@GDufault kicks off the panel asking @MignonClyburn what progress she's seen since her time as @FCC Commissioner and Chair. She notes that we've come a long way since the 90s on coming to an area of collaborating on TVWS and spectrum issues because these issues are so critical.

She notes she was examining TVWS as an affordable way to connect Americans "before it was cool to talk about TVWS" and that she's glad people are acknowledging affordable broadband is a necessity today.

@GDufault asks Elizabeth Henry about telehealth in Mississippi. Elizabeth points to @HealthIsMobile Steering Committee member UMMC's diabetes telemedicine program as a great example of what telemedicine can do for chronic disease patients in rural areas.

Elizabeth notes that precision agriculture is a huge opportunity for her home state and as a member of the Senate Ag Committee @SenHydeSmith is very involved in making sure precision ag grows in her state and beyond.

@GDufault asks @drturnerlee about her paper on local solutions to closing the digital divide. She points out that COVID-19 is pointing out that without broadband access you are trapped in an analog world. She notes people may fall further behind as more shifts online.

@drturnerlee with a great story- she was introduced to TVWS over 20 years ago via a project in Garrett County, MD. She recently revisited this area to see how TVWS changed this community. She notes TVWS connections changed education and business in this area for the better.

@MignonClyburn notes that there may not be a one size fits all solution, but @FCC dockets like TVWS are critical to beginning to understand what communities need.

An interesting note on our panel-- both Elizabeth and Mignon are originally from rural areas and have seen these issues up close before their policy careers. Dr. Turner Lee is an admitted city person but she's traveled all over in her research to see these use cases in action.

Great point from @MignonClyburn- Too often policymakers focus on the upfront cost of broadband investment and not the ROI that things like telemedicine or expanded economic opportunity brings to these communities.

@drturnerlee's latest paper examines some of the economic considerations on telehealth for rural and underserved communities. She says we need to keep reevaluating the regulations that hold back the full use of telehealth. The data from telehealth use during COVID-19 will help.

All of our panelists believe that telemedicine can and will lower healthcare costs and improve care in the longterm. The use of telemedicine during COVID-19 is a watershed moment to making this a normal part of medical care in the US.

Final question for the panel, we know the TVWS rulemaking is a priority for the @FCC, how do we make sure it remains there?

@MignonClyburn Emphasizing the deliverables. Few dockets check the boxes of affordibility, coverage, and ROI like TVWS does.

A big thank you to our panelists!

- Former @FCC Commissioner and Chair @MignonClyburn
-Elizabeth Henry, Dir. of Admin and Health Policy for @SenHydeSmith
@drturnerlee, Senior Fellow @BrookingsInst