The Rural Health Care program provides funding to eligible health care providers for telecommunications services, including broadband, necessary for the provision of health care. The goal of the program is to improve the quality of health care available to patients in rural communities by ensuring that eligible health care providers have access to affordable telecommunications services.

The program provides discounts on the purchase of telecommunications services by eligible rural health care providers. Paid for by the Universal Service Fund, these discounts result in rates for service that are nearly the same as those in urban areas, where telecommunications rates typically are lower. Funding is capped at $400 million annually.

To provide broadband networks in rural areas where service is lacking, the Commission launched the Rural Health Care Pilot Program, which provides funding for up to 85 percent of the costs associated with: (1) the construction of a state or regional broadband network and the advanced telecommunications and information services provided over that network; (2) connecting to Internet 2 or National LambdaRail (NLR); and (3) connecting to the public Internet.

• Beaver Dam Community Hospital: Dismissed the Request for Review of an appeal filed simultaneous to the Administrator and Commission without prejudice. DA No. 05-481. (2/24/05) word | PDF

• Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission: Denies petition for reconsideration filed by Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission seeking reconsideration of Bureau Order denying the Pennsylvania PUC’s original waiver petition. DA 02-427, (2/27/02) text | word | PDF

• Good Samaritan Health Systems, Kearney, Nebraska: Denies appeal where the applicant sought support for services provided before the 28-day competitive bidding period expired. DA 00-1563, (7/18/00) text | word

• Presbyterian Healthcare Services, NM: Appeal denied because the applicant violated the 28-day waiting period in the Commission's competitive bidding rules. DA 00-1131 (5/23/00) text.

• MeritCare Clinic Bemidji of Bemidji, Minnesota: DA 00-610, (3/21/00) text

• MeritCare Clinic Mayville of Mayville, North Dakota: DA 00-614, (3/21/00) text

• MeritCare Clinic Jamestown of Jamestown, North Dakota: DA 00-613, (3/21/00) text

• MeritCare Clinic Hillsboro of Hillsboro, North Dakota: DA 00-612, (3/21/00) text

• MeritCare Clinic Detroit Lakes of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota: DA 00-611, (3/21/00) text

• Public Notice (WC Docket No. 02-60). Notice of Rural Health Care Pilot Program Quarterly Report Filing Deadline: The Wireline Competition Bureau announces the July 30, 2008 filing deadline for Rural Health Care Pilot Program quarterly reports. DA 08-1751 (7/28/08) Word | Acrobat



• Public Notice (WC Docket No. 02-60). The Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment on two Requests for Review filed by Lake Delton Urgent Care and Franciscan Skemp Prairie du Chien Clinic that seek review of decisions of USAC. USAC’s decisions reduced the applicants' Rural Health Care funding requests for Funding Year 2006. Comments on the requests are due July 10, 2008, and reply comments are due July 25, 2008. DA 08-1365 (6/10/08) Word | Acrobat



• Public Notice (WC Docket No. 02-60). In this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment on Fort HealthCare—Fort Memorial Hospital, Fort HealthCare—Lake Mills Clinic, and Fort HealthCare—Whitewater Clinic, and Franciscan Skemp Waukon Clinic’s requests for review of decisions by the Universal Service Administrative Company. Comments on the requests are due June 30, 2008, and reply comments are due July 14, 2008. DA 08-1230 (5/30/08) Word | Acrobat



• Order on Reconsideration (WC Docket No. 02-60). In this Order on Reconsideration, the Commission grants in part a Petition for Reconsideration by the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), seeking limited reconsideration of the Commissions’ Rural Health Care Support Mechanism Second Report and Order. Specifically, the Commission grants ATA’s Petition for Reconsideration in part and extends for three years the Commission’s prior determination to grandfather those health care providers who were eligible under the Commission’s definition of “rural” prior to the Second Report and Order. FCC 08-47 (2/14/08) Word | Acrobat



• Office of Management and Budget Approves Rural Health Care Pilot Program Information Collection Requirements: DA 08-140 (1/22/08)
  Public Notice: Word | Acrobat WCB Letter to USAC on Rural Health Care Pilot Program Carry-Over of Funds.
  Letter: 1/17/08 Acrobat

FCC Launches Initiative to Increase Access to Health Care in Rural America Through Broadband Telehealth Services. 11/19/07

News Release: Word | Acrobat Selected Participants: Word | Acrobat
Corrected Order: Word | Acrobat
Erratum (12/17/07): Word | Acrobat
Order: Word | Acrobat
Martin Statement: Word | Acrobat
Copps Statement: Word | Acrobat
Adelstein Statement: Word | Acrobat
Tate Statement: Word | Acrobat
McDowell Statement: Word | Acrobat



• Public Notice (WC Docket No. 02-60). American Telemedicine Association Petition for Reconsideration - In this Order, the Commission sought comment on the American Telemedicine Association's Petition for Reconsideration of the Commission’s Second Report and Order, in which it requested that the Commission grandfather, for an indefinite period of time, rural sites that were no longer eligible for rural health care support under the new definition of rural in the Second Report and Order, but which were eligible prior to the date of the Second Report and Order. DA 07-1237 (3/13/07) Word | Acrobat



• Order on Reconsideration (WC Docket No. 02-60). The Commission grant a Petition filed by National LambdaRail, Inc. (NLR) seeking reconsideration or, in the alternative, clarification of the Commission’s order establishing a rural health care pilot program to encourage the provision of telehealth and telemedicine services throughout the nation. Specifically, we find that pilot program applicants may request and, if selected, may receive funding to support up to 85 percent of the cost of connecting state and regional broadband networks to the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development, Inc. (Internet2) or NLR. We further find that an applicant that proposes to connect its state or regional broadband networks to Internet2 or NLR may either (1) pre-select Internet2 or NLR; or (2) seek a competitive bid for the provision of nationwide backbone services from Internet2 or NLR. To ensure the success of the pilot program, we expect that Internet2 and NLR will interconnect or peer with each other. Finally, we provide applicants with an additional thirty (30) days time to submit their applications to the Commission. FCC 07-6 (2/6/07) Word | Acrobat

• Order (WC Docket No. 02-60). The Wireline Competition Bureau grants a request by Unicom, Inc. for a waiver of section 54.611 of its rules, which provides that any reimbursement made by USAC due a telecommunications carrier providing services eligible for rural health care universal service support is offset against its universal service obligation to the Universal Service Fund, calculated on an annual basis. DA 06-1976 (10/2/06) Word | Acrobat



• Order (WC Docket No. 02-60). The Commission establish a pilot program to examine how the rural health care funding mechanism can be used to enhance public and non-profit health care providers' access to advanced telecommunications and information services. FCC 06-144 (9/29/06) Word | Acrobat

• Public Notice (WC Docket No. 02-60). This public notice establishes the deadline for completing Funding Year 2003 application process for Rural Health Care Universal Service Support Mechanism. DA 04-2347 (7/28/04) Word | Acrobat



• Order on Reconsideration Notice (WC Docket No. 02-60). This order on reconsideration of the Rural Health Care order eliminates a duplicative annual report reporting requirement for USAC. FCC 04-15 (1/16/04) Word | Acrobat

• Report and Order, Order on Reconsideration and FNPRM (CC Docket No. 02-60). This Order modifies the Commission's rules to improve the effectiveness of the rural health care support mechanism. FCC 03-288 (11/17/03) Word | Acrobat



• Public Notice (CC Docket No. 96-45). Minnesota Public Utility Commission: The Wireline Competition Bureau initiates proceeding to consider the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Petition to redefine Rural Telephone Company Service Areas in the State of Minnesota. DA 03-3594 (11/7/03) Word | Acrobat



• Order(C Docket No. 96-45 and 97-21). This order addresses requests for review of twelve tribal government offices seeking discounts under the rural health care universal service support mechanism. DA 03-2919 (9/23/03) Word | Acrobat

• Order (CC Docket No. 96-45 and 97-21). Unicom, Inc.: Dismisses Request for Review and all related Supplementals and Petitions for Leave to File. DA 03-2898 (9/17/03) Word | Acrobat

• Public Notice (CC Docket No. 02-60). This Public Notice announces the deadline for completing FY 2002 rural healthcare applications as October 8, 2003. DA 03-2633 (8/13/03) Word | Acrobat

• Order (CC Docket No. 96-45). AMSC Subsidiary: The Order grants AMSC Subsidiary's request to withdraw its Emergency Petition for Clarification. DA 03-856 (3/24/03) Word | Acrobat

• Public Notice (WC Docket No. 02-60). This Public Notice announces the New Universal Service Deadline for Completing Funding Year 2001 Rural Healthcare Application Process. (10/4/02) Word | Acrobat

• FCC grants USAC’s request and waives the quarterly cap on collections and disbursements under the rural health care support mechanism for the first and second quarters of 2000. CC Docket No. 96-45, FCC 00-079. Text 3/7/00

• Sixth Order on Reconsideration (CC Docket No. 97-21) and Fifteenth Order on Reconsideration (CC Docket No. 96-45). This Order reconsiders many of the Commission's conclusions in the Universal Service Order to simplify the process for rural health care providers to receive support from the universal service support mechanism. (11/1/99) Text | Word



• Fourteenth Order on Reconsideration concludes that all telecommunications carriers that provide supported services to eligible rural health care provides at a discount, are entitle to have the total amount of the discount treated as a contribution to the universal service fund. CC Docket No. 96-45 (ETC Order), FCC 99-256 (11/3/99) Word

• Universal Service Administrative Company Report: Evaluation of the Rural Health Care Program. Public Notice: (3/17/99) Text| WordPerfect

• FCC Order Changing the Funding Year for the Rural Health Care Support Mechanism from a Calendar Year to a Fiscal Year Cycle and Extending the First Funding Year by 6 Months. (1/4/99) Text| WordPerfect