32.005: UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - RURAL HEALTH CARE
Alternate Name: USAC - RURAL HEALTH CARE
Overview
Program Number
32.005
Status
Inactive
Last Modified
Aug. 13, 2020
Date Posted
Aug. 13, 2020
Objective
Universal service has been defined by Congress as “an evolving level of telecommunications services . . . taking into account advances in telecommunications and information technologies and services.” 47 U.S.C. 254(c). Policies for the advancement and preservation of universal service must be based on certain principles established by Congress. See 47 U.S.C. 254(b). Consistent with these statutory provisions, the FCC has established the Universal Service Fund, which disburses support for the provision of telecommunications services, as well as other services and facilities (including broadband) for high-cost areas, schools and libraries, rural health care providers, and low-income consumers.
Type of Assistance
C - Direct Payments for Specified Use
Applicant Eligibility
1. The applicant must be a public or non-profit entity.
2. The applicant must be one of the following:
a. Post-secondary educational institution offering health care instruction, such as teaching hospitals or medical schools
b. A community health center or health center providing health care to migrants,
c. A local health department or agency,
d. A community mental health center,
e. A not-for-profit hospital,
f. A rural health clinic,
g. A dedicated emergency room of a rural for-profit hospital,
h. Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs); or
i. A consortium of health care providers consistent of one or more of the entities described above.
3. Applicants must be in a rural location as defined by the FCC. Non-rural health care providers may be part of a consortium seeking support from the Healthcare Connect Fund program if the consortium satisfies the FCC’s majority-rural Requirement.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Not Applicable
Additional Information
Grant Awards
UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - RURAL HEALTH CARE direct grants
Grant Opportunities