FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS C O MMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Dan Coats 
United States Senate 
493 Russell Senate Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
Dear Senator Coats: 
September 19, 2014 
Thank you for your letter urging the Commission to clarify the meaning of the term "not­
for-profit hospital." Your views are important to me and will be considered as part of the 
Commission ' s review of this matter. 
As part of its oversight of the implementation of the Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) 
program, the Commission has received questions regarding the defmition of the term "not-for­
profit-hospital" and its application to some health care providers. As you may know, "not-for­
profit-hospital" is a statutory term that appears in Section 254(h)(7)(B) of the Communications 
Act of 1934, as amended. Commission staff are actively reviewing questions about the term ' s 
defmition and seek to reach a determination in as expeditious a marmer as possible. In general, it 
is important that the types of health care consortia envisioned by the HCF program have the 
flexibility to include as members those entities which will provide as broad an array oftelehealth 
and telemedicine applications as possible, while also ensuring the program maintains sufficient 
funding to aid the beneficiaries for which it is primari ly intended: rural health care providers. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know ifl can be of any further 
assistance. 
Tom Wheeler 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
niE Cli AIRMAN 
The Honorable Rob Portman 
United States Senate 
40 Dirksen Senate Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
Dear Senator Portman: 
September 19, 2014 
Thank you for your letter urging the Commission to clarify the meaning of the term "not­
for-profit hospital." Your views are important to me and will be considered as part of the 
Commission' s review ofthis matter. 
As part of its oversight ofthe implementation of the Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) 
program, the Commission has received questions regarding the defmition of the term "not-for­
profit-hospital" and its application to some health care providers. As you may know, "not-for­
profit-hospital" is a statutory term that appears in Section 254(h)(7)(B) of the Communications 
Act of 1934, as amended. Commission staff are actively reviewing questions about the term' s 
defmition and seek to reach a determination in as expeditious a marmer as possible. In general, it 
is important that the types of health care consortia envisioned by the HCF program have the 
flexibility to include as members those entities which will provide as broad an array oftelehealth 
and telemedicine applications as possible, while also ensuring the program maintains sufficient 
funding to aid the beneficiaries for which it is primarily intended: rural health care providers. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further 
assistance. 
Sincerely, 
r-A 
Tom Wheeler