SHLB Secures FCC Extension for Rural Health Care Program Deadline

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition commends the Federal Communications Commission for granting a 60-day extension of the Funding Year 2025 Rural Health Care Program application filing window, moving the deadline from April 1, 2025, to June 2, 2025. The FCC’s decision follows requests from multiple stakeholders, including SHLB, to ensure that eligible rural healthcare providers have sufficient time to complete their applications, given unforeseen and unique processing delays experienced in the program this funding year. The extension provides much-needed relief to program applicants, particularly those in consortia. Due to form processing delays and administrative hurdles caused by system transitions, they faced challenges meeting the original April 1 deadline.