FCC, FDA unveil partnership to promote wireless medical technology

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a partnership on Monday designed to promote wireless medical technology, a field they say will cut medical costs and improve care. 

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg signed a memorandum of understanding and released a joint statement of principles at the beginning of a two-day conference on wireless medical technology.

Calling the partnership “unprecedented,” Genachowski said that “all Americans stand to benefit from wireless-enabled health solutions.” The FCC’s National Broadband Plan, released in March, called on the government to streamline processes to promote wireless medical technology. 

The joint statement says that the FDA and the FCC should encourage investment in wireless medical technology, ensure that all devices operate safely, and streamline regulatory processes, including by clarifying the agencies’ jurisdiction over wireless devices. 

Wireless health technology can include everything from pumps that deliver insulin to diabetes patients, to remote monitoring systems that measure the level of glucose in a patient’s body, to sensors that send text messages to a doctor if a patient’s state changes.  

Wireless devices will allow healthcare providers to “transition from facility-centric care to patient-centric care,” Hamburg said.

The partnership comes on the heels of the FCC’s move this month to create a $400 million fund for broadband infrastructure projects at medical facilities.