Wiley Helps MIT Secure FCC Waiver for Remote Health Monitoring

Washington, DC – On behalf of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Wiley Rein LLP helped secure a waiver from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of its rules for unlicensed devices, so that MIT can certify and deploy its unique WiTrack system for remote patient monitoring. It’s a health care innovation that FCC Chairman Pai stated could “be the difference between life and death…” for some people.

WiTrack is a wall-mounted system designed to allow caregivers and health care workers to remotely monitor the well-being of patients and senior adults without physical contact. Using wireless technology, the device can detect several physiological characteristics of subjects, such as breathing, heart rate, gait, and sleep.

While the system was originally designed well before the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, health care organizations who were eager to add the WiTrack device to enhance patient care during the current health care crisis quickly engaged MIT. In order to make the system available for immediate use, Wiley helped MIT secure a waiver of the FCC rules specifying the bandwidth and measurement methodology in order to permit the WiTrack’s particularly efficient and effective method of operation.

“Now, more than ever, we need to support and enable innovation in health care,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in a news release yesterday. “Devices like these can be the difference between life or death, especially now when remote monitoring is critical for patients, seniors, and their caregivers as we all practice social distancing.”

“Whether deployed in a hospital, assisted living facility, or in an at home setting, innovations like these can help keep our loved ones safe when we can’t always be in the same place,” Chairman Pai added.

The Wiley team, led by Anna M. Gomez, partner in the Telecom, Media & Technology (TMT) Practice, included senior counsel David E. Hilliard and consulting counsel Bruce A. Romano, who provided deep and extensive expertise in the technical rules and procedures involved in securing the waiver.

Wiley continues to be the preeminent TMT Practice in the United States, representing the industry’s leading companies, as well as new and innovative players across the TMT spectrum.  With more than 60 attorneys, public policy advisors, and engineers, Wiley’s highly respected team provides premier legal counsel for the full range of business and regulatory matters impacting the telecommunications, media, and technology industries.