Connected Care Pilot Program

Telehealth has assumed a critical role in health care delivery as technology and improved broadband connectivity have enabled patients to access health care services without needing to visit a health care provider's physical location. Advances in tel

The Pilot Program is a limited-duration program established to provide up to $100 million in Universal Service Funds to help eligible health care providers defray the costs of providing connected care services to their patients and study how the Universal Service Fund can help support the continuing trend toward connected care services, with a primary focus on the provision of these services to low-income and veteran patients.

Eligible health care providers include: (1) post-secondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, 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 section 395i-3(a) of title 42) 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.

The Commission will have a strong preference for pilot projects that can demonstrate that they will primarily benefit low-income individuals or veterans. For purposes of the Pilot Program, health care providers can determine whether a patient is considered low-income by determining whether (1) the patient is eligible for Medicaid or (2) the patient's household income is at or below 135% of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Federal Poverty Guidelines. Health care providers may determine whether a patient qualifies as a veteran for purposes of the Pilot Program by confirming that the patient qualifies for health care through the VA. The Commission expects that pilot projects focused on serving veterans will primarily focus on veteran populations that are more likely to experience issues accessing health care.

Interested applicants were required to file an eligibility form, FCC Form 460, to obtain an eligibility determination from the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), the program administrator. The Commission accepted applications for the Pilot Program through an online application system available on USAC's website. The application window is closed.

The Pilot Program provides 85% funding for patient broadband internet access services; health care provider broadband data connections; information services needed to provide connected care services; and network equipment (e.g., routers necessary to make health care provider supported broadband services functional).

The Connected Care Pilot Program will make available up to $100 million over a three-year period.

To clarify the 2 CFR 200 requirements applicable to this program: Only Subpart A - Acronyms and Definitions, Subpart B - General Provisions, Subparts C-D (specifically 2 CFR § 200.203 - Requirement to provide public notice of Federal financial assistance programs; 2 CFR § 200.303 Internal controls; and 2 CFR §§ 200.331-333 Subrecipient Monitoring and Management). Health care providers must: (1) submit information requesting an eligibility determination (for health care provider sites that do not already have one) from the Universal Service Administrative Company through filling an FCC Form 460, and (2) submit an initial application to the Commission. The Commission will select applicants on the basis of initial applications that will be permitted to apply for funding commitments. Applicants permitted to apply for funding are then required to engage in competitive bidding for providers to implement their projects through the FCC Form 461. Once the competitive bidding requirements are satisfied, they must submit funding requests on the FCC Form 462 (Funding Request Form) to USAC. Funding will be approved or denied through a Funding Commitment Letter. After eligible services and equipment have been provided to the health care provider, health care providers will submit invoices to USAC on a monthly basis to enable their service providers to receive disbursements.

Participation begins with determining if a health care provider is eligible to participate in the program. Health care providers will submit initial applications to the Commission containing descriptions of the intended use of the funding and the design of the pilot project, including data to be collected. The Commission's goal is to select applicants that serve primarily low-income and veteran patients who are responding to a wide variety of health challenges such as diabetes management, opioid dependency, high-risk pregnancies, pediatric heart disease, mental health conditions, and cancer. Projects that are selected on the basis of initial applications will be permitted to apply for funding commitments.

Applicants selected on the basis of initial applications will receive notification, and will then be permitted to apply for funding commitments. Approved funding is awarded through a Funding Commitment Letter to the applicant.

Initial applications were to be submitted between November 6, 2020 and December 7, 2020. Projects were selected on the basis of these initial applications. Final selections were made on March 17, 2022. August 18, 2022 was the last day to post initial FCC Forms 461 (Request for Services Form) to the USAC website. September 16, 2022 is the deadline for all selected Projects to submit an initial FCC Form 462 (Funding Request Form) to USAC. Funding is approved on a rolling basis. December 31, 2025 is the last date for Pilot Program participants to end their projects (participants must end their projects within three years of first receiving service and no later than December 31, 2025).

Any interested person may petition for reconsideration of a final Commission action. The petition for reconsideration and any supplement thereto shall be filed within 30 days from the date of public notice of the final Commission action, as that date is defined in 47 CFR § 1.4(b). Any person aggrieved by any Commission action taken pursuant to delegated authority may file an application requesting review of that action. The application for review and any supplemental thereto shall be filed within 30 days of public notice of such action, as that date is defined in 47 CFR § 1.4(b). Additionally, selected participants may file an appeal of a USAC funding decision to USAC within 60 days of that decision. 47 CFR 54.720(b). If USAC denies the appeal, they may file an appeal with the Commission. 47 CFR 54.720(a).