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Rural Health Care Program
The Rural Health Care Program ensures that health care providers serving rural communities pay no more than their urban counterparts for telecommunications services necessary for the provision of health care. Congress directed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enhance access to advanced telecommunications and information services for health care providers.
Rural Health Care Program Highlights
- Rural Health Care support provides reduced rates to rural health care providers for telecommunications and Internet services so they pay no more than their urban counterparts for the same or similar telecommunications services
- Rural Health Care support strengthens telemedicine and telehealth networks across the nation, particularly in remote or rural areas
- All eligible telecommunications providers including interexchange carriers, local exchange carriers, competitive local exchange carriers, and all other common carriers, may receive support for providing discounted telecommunications service to eligible rural health care providers
- Effective with the 2004 funding year, eligible rural health care providers may also receive support for 25% of monthly Internet service costs
- More than 2,600 facilities have received $112 million in Rural Health Care support commitments since 1998
How Does the Rural Health Care Program Work?
- Eligible rural health care providers must apply for participation in the program by submitting a form requesting services to USAC. USAC will post the form on its website, seeking carriers to bid on the requested services.
- After the rural health care provider selects a telecommunications provider, services may be ordered.
- Using Rural Health Care support, the selected company provides the services to the rural health care provider at discounted prices.
Who Pays for the Rural Health Care Program?
- All telecommunications carriers that provide service internationally and between states pay contributions into the USF. USAC makes payments from this central fund to support the Rural Health Care program, as well as three other programs (High Cost, Low Income, and Schools and Libraries).
Learn more about the Rural Health Care Program...
