Predicting the Future of the FCC’s RHC Program

Schools Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition

Friday, October 2, 2020 - 6:00pm to 7:30pm

Dig into telehealth trends, analyze recent funding applications, and plan for the future.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Health Care (RHC) program is in a state of flux. The Commission partially granted SHLB’s request to raise the cap in 2018 and adopted new rules in 2019, but confusion and processing delays abound. Congress directed the FCC to implement a $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program, and lawmakers are simultaneously considering comprehensive legislation that would add $2 billion to the RHC program, the amount that SHLB estimates is necessary to ensure that rural health providers have sufficient broadband to handle the explosion of telemedicine visits.

This workshop will dig into the telehealth trends in the broadband market, analyze the most recent RHC funding applications, and help telehealth providers plan for the future.