On July 16, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a draft Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) and Order in its long-running Promoting Telehealth in Rural America proceeding (WC Docket No. 17-310).
The FCC’s Rural Health Care (RHC) Program provides universal service financial support to help rural health care providers obtain telecommunications and broadband services at discounted rates, facilitating the delivery of telehealth to some of the most remote areas in the nation. According to the FCC’s 2025 Universal Service Monitoring Report, nearly 14,000 health care providers received support from this Universal Service Fund program that year.
The program disbursed $523 million in 2024, and the FY2026 cap is $744.2 million. commenters to explain how their positions further both goals.
From the Benson Institute for Broadband & Society