FCC Adopts Rural Health Care Program Review What Changed in the Final Item?

In July, we summarized the Federal Communications Commission's draft Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order in its long-running Promoting Telehealth in Rural America proceeding. The Federal Communications Commission adopted that item on August 6, 2026, and released the final version on August 7. The bulk of what we wrote in July still holds. This update covers what changed between the draft and the adopted item, which expands on the draft's questions in three areas:

1. Capacity, latency, and security for health care networks
2. Clarifying the scope of eligible entities
3. Alternatives to a September 1 processing target