Universal
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Rural Health Care
Program
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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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MeritCare Clinic Bemidji of Bemidji, Minnesota: DA 00-610,
(3/21/00) text
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MeritCare Clinic Mayville of Mayville, North Dakota: DA 00-614,
(3/21/00) text
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MeritCare Clinic Jamestown of Jamestown, North Dakota: DA
00-613, (3/21/00) text
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MeritCare Clinic Hillsboro of Hillsboro, North Dakota: DA
00-612, (3/21/00) text
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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
Key Order
- Report and Order, Order on Reconsideration, and Further Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking (WC Docket No. 02-60). The FCC expanded
its program to bring up-to-date medical services and information
to rural areas through telecommunications. Modified the rules
to improve the effectiveness of the rural health care universal
service support mechanism. FCC 04-289 (12/17/04) Word | Acrobat
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- 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
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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
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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
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FCC grants USACs 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
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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
Key Order
- Report and Order (CC Docket No. 96-45). The FCC sets forth
a plan that satisfies all of the statutory requirements, and
puts in place a universal service support system that will be
sustainable in an increasingly competitive marketplace. FCC 97-157
(5/8/07) Word | Acrobat
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