Will Rural Health-Care Providers Pay More for Broadband?

A new order released by the Federal Communications Commission in December will expand broadband access for some health-care providers. But the program may also hamstring the use of telemedicine by doctors who will need to pay more out of pocket to get online.

Called the Healthcare Connect Fund, the program will subsidize 65 percent of broadband costs for participating providers. That’s down significantly from the 85 percent subsidy in the FCC’s existing Rural Health Care pilot program, which was established by the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Eric Brown, president and CEO of the California Telehealth Network (CTN) — an organization that works with stakeholders to establish broadband connectivity for communities to improve the quality of health care — called the change an “obvious concern,” as some providers will not be able to pay the 35 percent contribution as the Healthcare Connect Fund requires. Brown explained those members of CTN that have a 1.5 Mpbs T1 connection pay roughly $62.50 per month under the Rural Health Care program. If additional subsidies can’t be found, those same health providers will be paying approximately $200 per month for the same connectivity under the Healthcare Connect Fund.