Telehealth

The Universal Service Fund Working Group seeks public comment on the future of the Universal Service Fund (USF). The goal of this working group is to create a bipartisan forum to guide education, awareness, and policy-making on the USF. The working group invited comments on ten questions related to money collected from telecommunications companies that is dedicated to fulfilling the goals of universal service.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the availability of nearly $1 billion in funding to expand Internet access and adoption on Tribal Lands. This second round of funding from the Internet for All initiative’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) will make up to approximately $980 million available for Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities for the deployment of Internet infras

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced that USDA is expanding access to health care for more than 5 million people living in 39 states and Puerto Rico as part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda. USDA is awarding $129 million in Emergency Rural Health Care Grants to improve healthcare facilities in rural towns across the nation.

Dr. Cindy Firkins Smith doesn't mince words: "Rural health care is on the precipice of a crisis," she said. Minnesota state data show doctors in rural areas are older than those in urban ones, and one in three rural physicians plan to leave the workforce within the next five years, which could have "potentially devastating effects," said Smith. But one solution that can help bridge some of the gap: telehealth. The problem?

As many have experienced, either personally or through a friend or loved one, the pandemic has taken a toll on people’s mental health.

The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) testified on the importance of satellite connectivity before the House Committee on Agriculture hearing titled “Closing the Digital Divide in Rural America.” SIA President Tom Stroup provided testimony on behalf of the Association. “Americans without high-speed internet access are slipping further behind as more and more aspects of American society are conducted online… and too many communities are on the wrong side of the divide,” said Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-PA).

The US Department of the Treasury approved $119.9 million in federal funds for broadband infrastructure projects in Montana and $68.3 million for multi-purpose community facility projects in North Dakota under the American Rescue Plan Act's (ARPA) Capital Projects Fund (CPF):

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) granted the US Virgin Islands (USVI) its first “Internet for All” grants for deploying high-speed Internet networks and developing digital skills training programs under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All initiative.

The Idaho Broadband Advisory Board (IBAB) and the Idaho Office of Broadband are now accepting grant applications for the Idaho Capital Projects Fund (CPF) Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program. The Idaho Broadband Advisory Board and the State of Idaho seek to fund broadband projects across the state that assist with or improve distance learning, telehealth, telework, and public safety.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau, in consultation with the Office of the Managing Director, announces the amount of unused funds for the Rural Health Care (RHC) Program that has been carried forward for funding year 2023.