FCC expands broadband investment for health IT up to $400M
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The program would give patients in rural areas access to innovative diagnostic tools typically available only in the largest and most sophisticated medical centers, the commission said.
The program will invest up to $400 million annually to enable doctors, nurses, hospitals and clinics to deliver world-class healthcare to patients regardless of their locations, through communications technology. The program is one of four in the Universal Service Fund administered by the FCC.
Without increasing the projected size of the overall fund, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would bring affordable broadband connectivity to more than 2,000 rural hospitals and clinics. Many clinics and hospitals lack affordable broadband access. In fact, nearly 30 percent of federally funded rural healthcare clinics can’t afford secure and reliable broadband services, according to the FCC.