Universal service fund - rural health care

The Rural Health Care Program, one of the FCC's Universal Service Fund programs, provides funding to eligible health care providers for telecommunications and broadband services necessary for the provision of health care. The goal of the program is t

The purpose of Rural Health Care Program funding is to provide financial assistance to eligible rural health care providers to obtain rates on telecommunications services in rural areas that are reasonably comparable to rates charged for similar services in corresponding urban areas through the Telecommunications Program, and to provide individual rural health care providers and consortia that include both rural and urban health care providers a flat 65% discount on an array of advanced telecommunications and information services through the Healthcare Connect Fund Program.

Eligible health care providers include: (1) post-secondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, including teaching hospitals and medical schools; (2) community health centers or health centers providing health care to migrants; (3) local health departments or agencies; (4) community mental health centers; (5) not-for-profit hospitals; (6) rural health clinics; (7) skilled nursing facilities (as defined in 42 USC § 1395i-3(a)) and (8) consortium of health care providers consisting of one or more entities falling into the first seven categories. In addition, eligible health care providers must be non-profit or public.

Health care providers that seek to use financial assistance for voice and other telecommunication services may be eligible for funding through the Telecommunications Program. The level of discounts provided is determined using an urban/rural rate differential. Health care providers that seek to use financial assistance for broadband services, network equipment, etc., may be eligible for funding through the Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) Program. The level of discounts provided for HCF is a flat 65% discount on eligible expenses. Health care providers seeking HCF Program support can apply as an individual provider or as part of a consortium, i.e., a group of HCPs that can be both rural and non-rural. The consortium applicant must have more than 50 percent rural health care provider sites. The services eligible under the HCF Program include internet access, dark fiber, business data, traditional digital service line (DSL), and private carriage services.

Health care providers that seek to use financial assistance for voice and other telecommunication services may be eligible for funding through the Telecommunications Program. The level of discounts provided is determined using an urban/rural rate differential. Health care providers that seek to use financial assistance for broadband services, network equipment, etc., may be eligible for funding through the Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) Program. The level of discounts provided for HCF is a flat 65% discount on eligible expenses. Health care providers seeking HCF Program support can apply as an individual provider or as part of a consortium, i.e., a group of HCPs that can be both rural and non-rural. The consortium applicant must have more than 50 percent rural health care provider sites. The services eligible under the HCF Program include internet access, dark fiber, business data, traditional digital service line (DSL), and private carriage services.

Funding requests are generally submitted in a window between December and March (inclusive) before the start of the upcoming funding year. The funding year starts July 1 and ends June 30 of the following year. Applicants in the Rural Health Care Program must reapply for funding each year unless the applicant has received a Healthcare Connect Fund Program multi-year funding commitment.

2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Health care providers must: (1) submit information to the program administrator to establish their eligibility to participate in the Rural Health Care Program; (2) initiate and complete an FCC-compliant competitive bidding process and select the most cost-effective service offering; and (3) submit a funding request application to the program administrator with all required supporting documentation. The program administrator will issue a letter containing a decision on the funding request. If the funding request is approved and after the approved services have been provided to the health care provider, invoices may be submitted to the program administrator for disbursements to the health care provider's service provider.

2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Health care providers must: (1) submit information to the program administrator to establish their eligibility to participate in the Rural Health Care Program; (2) initiate and complete an FCC-compliant competitive bidding process and select the most cost-effective service offering; and (3) submit a funding request application to the program administrator with all required supporting documentation. The program administrator will issue a letter containing a decision on the funding request. If the funding request is approved and after the approved services have been provided to the health care provider, invoices may be submitted to the program administrator for disbursements to the health care provider's service provider.

USAC reviews each funding application to ensure compliance with program rules and procedures. The competitive bidding, program application and other required program processes described herein are governed by the FCC's rules at 47 CFR § 54.600 et. seq. and associated FCC Orders for the Rural Health Care Program. After a submitted application undergoes a program review, the applicant will receive a Funding Commitment Letter providing the total amount of approved support for each funding request or indicating that its funding request has been denied.

Dec 01, 2025 to Apr 01, 2026 This is the current filing window period administered by the FCC's Rural Health Care Program administrator, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). Funding request applications may only be submitted during an open filing window period. A filing window period is a fixed period of time when all funding requests, submitted during a specific period, are treated as received simultaneously. Filing window periods may vary by year, but are always announced in advance of the upcoming funding year. The window to submit funding requests is generally between December and March before the start of the upcoming funding year (July 1). USAC will post announcements on its website about the upcoming application window or any changes to current deadlines.

The FCC has not set a specific date range for funding decisions but has a program target to encourage efficient processing of program applications. Approval/denial notifications are sent on a rolling basis. Due to the unique nature of each application and review, there is not a standard date range for when decisions are issued.

An appeal of a program decision must be filed with the FCC within 60 days of the date of the decision by USAC, provided the party seeking appeal first sought review of the decision from USAC. A request for waiver of the Rural Health Care Program rules must be filed directly with the FCC within 60 days of the date of the decision by USAC.