Nelson asks FCC to save funding for rural hospitals

Sen Ben Nelson (D-NE) urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to find funding for rural hospitals who could lose support for broadband deployment due to an agency rule change.

The change, which occurred over six years ago, slashed the definition of a "rural hospital" from one that serves 50,000 people to one that serves half that. In a letter to the FCC, Sen Nelson said that because of this change, four Nebraska providers will face challenges next June when they become ineligible for support.

The FCC's heath program allocates money so hospitals can deploy broadband. It allows doctors to transfer medical records between facilities and monitor patients remotely using communications devices. The FCC sought comment in a public notice in June on whether it should revisit the rule change, and comments were due this month. The comments are under review.