Last week, House Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-California) and Representative Don Young (R-Alaska) introduced the Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act (H.R. 6474). This bill would provide $2 billion to expand telehealth and high-quality internet connectivity at public and nonprofit healthcare facilities, including mobile clinics and temporary health facilities deployed to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. It also streamlines administrative requirements to ensure healthcare providers receive funding as quickly as possible. The FCC’s Healthcare Connect Fund Program (HCFP) generally subsidizes 65% of the cost of broadband for eligible public and nonprofit rural healthcare facilities, this bill increases the subsidy rate to 85%.
