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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL 
 Re:  Rural  Health  Care  Support  Mechanism,  Second  Report  and  Order,  Order  on  Reconsideration,  and  Further  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking,  WC  Docket  No.  02-  60 
 Telecommunications  technology  can  make  a  dramatic  difference  in  the  lives  of  patients  and  healthcare  professionals.  The  transformative  potential  of  telemedicine  is 
 happening  at  places  such  as  the  University  of  Virginia’s  Office  of  Telemedicine  and  University  of  Tennessee  Telehealth  Network.  In  Iraq,  telemedicine  links  are  allowing 
 troops  in  Iraq  to  communicate  with  their  loved  ones  in  the  U.  S.,  face-  to-  face.  With  the  support  of  our  rural  health  care  mechanism,  doctors  are  using  technology  to  improve 
 health  care  by  making  telemedicine  a  reality  in  rural  areas  of  America  and  across  the  globe. 


 Today’s  item  furthers  the  Commission’s  efforts  to  improve  the  rural  healthcare  support  mechanism  to  ensure  that  the  statutory  goals  of  section  254  of  the 
 Telecommunications  Act  of  1996  are  met.  The  definition  of  rural  has  generated  a  lot  of  interest  from  the  applicant  community  and  I  am  pleased  to  support  a  decision  that  updates 
 the  definition  based  on  the  2000  census  data.  With  each  revision  to  the  program  we  see  the  positive  results  for  rural  health  care  providers  and  the  people  they  serve.  I  am  also 
 pleased  to  support  revisions  to  our  rules  to  expand  funding  for  mobile  rural  health  care  services  by  subsidizing  the  difference  between  the  rate  for  satellite  service  and  the  rate 
 for  an  urban  wireline  service  with  a  similar  bandwidth. 
 Lastly,  in  the  Further  Notice,  the  Commission  seeks  comment  on  whether  it  should  increase  the  percentage  discount  that  rural  health  care  providers  receive  for 
 Internet  access  and  whether  infrastructure  development  should  be  funded.  Additionally,  the  Commission  seeks  comment  on  whether  to  modify  its  rule  specifically  to  allow 
 mobile  rural  health  care  providers  to  receive  discounts  for  facilities  other  than  satellite.  I  look  forward  to  working  with  my  colleagues  to  further  unlock  the  potential  of  this 
 program  and  to  address  the  issues  raised  in  the  Further  Notice. 
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