FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Susan Collins 
United States Senate 
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
Dear Senator Collins: 
March 9, 2017 
Thank you for your letter regarding the Commission's rural healthcare program. That 
program provides funding to eligible health care providers (HCPs) for telecommunications and 
broadband services necessary for the provision of health care. I deeply appreciate the 
importance of these HCPs serving rural communities and the need for universal service funding 
in making sure all Americans have access to state-of-the-art healthcare. As the son of a doctor in 
Kansas, who often travelled many miles to see his patients, I am well aware of the difficulty so 
many in rural America have in getting adequate healthcare. 
I have long made ensuring the viability of the RHC program for rural participants a 
priority. When the FCC created the Healthcare Connect Fund in 2012, I pushed the Commission 
to make sure that the majority of the funds were targeted at rural healthcare providers. And last 
December, I pushed the agency to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse in the program to 
ensure sufficient funding for the many good actors that need it. 
You mention the recent letter from the New England Telehealth Consortium and the 
School, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, which proposes to establish a mechanism 
similar to that in theE-Rate program to rollover unexpended rural healthcare program funds 
from one year to the next. That proposal is currently under review by our hard-working staff in 
the Wireline Competition Bureau. More generally, I have asked Commission staff to look 
closely at the RHC program and to consider ways to better allocate funds within the existing 
program cap. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know ifl can be of any further 
assistance. 
Sincerely, 
FEDERA L COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
O FFICE O F 
THE CH A IR MAN 
The Honorable Maggie Hassan 
United States Senate 
B85 Russell Senate Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
Dear Senator Hassan: 
March 9, 2017 
Thank you for your letter regarding the Commission's rural healthcare program. That 
program provides funding to eligible health care providers (HCPs) for telecommunications and 
broadband services necessary for the provision of health care. I deeply appreciate the 
importance of these HCPs serving rural communities and the need for universal service funding 
in making sure all Americans have access to state-of-the-art healthcare. As the son of a doctor in 
Kansas, who often travelled many miles to see his patients, I am well aware of the difficulty so 
many in rural America have in getting adequate healthcare. 
I have long made ensuring the viability of the RHC program for rural participants a 
priority. When the FCC created the Healthcare Connect Fund in 2012, I pushed the Commission 
to make sure that the majority of the funds were targeted at rural healthcare providers. And last 
December, I pushed the agency to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse in the program to 
ensure sufficient funding for the many good actors that need it. 
You mention the recent letter from the New England Telehealth Consortium and the 
School, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, which proposes to establish a mechanism 
similar to that in theE-Rate program to rollover unexpended rural healthcare program funds 
from one year to the next. That proposal is currently under review by our hard-working staff in 
the Wire line Competition Bureau. More generally, I have asked Commission staff to look 
closely at the RHC program and to consider ways to better allocate funds within the existing 
program cap. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further 
assistance. 
Sincerely, 
~-~ v, fa.: 
~jit V. Pai 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
O FFI C E O F 
T H E C H A I RMAN 
The Honorable Martin Heinrich 
United States Senate 
303 Hart Senate Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
Dear Senator Heinrich: 
March 9, 2017 
Thank you for your letter regarding the Commission's rural healthcare program. That 
program provides funding to eligible health care providers (HCPs) for telecommunications and 
broadband services necessary for the provision of health care. I deeply appreciate the 
importance of these HCPs serving rural communities and the need for universal service funding 
in making sure all Americans have access to state-of-the-art healthcare. As the son of a doctor in 
Kansas, who often travelled many miles to see his patients, I am well aware of the difficulty so 
many in rural America have in getting adequate healthcare. 
I have long made ensuring the viability of the RHC program for rural participants a 
priority. When the FCC created the Healthcare Connect Fund in 2012, I pushed the Commission 
to make sure that the majority of the funds were targeted at rural healthcare providers. And last 
December, I pushed the agency to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse in the program to 
ensure sufficient funding for the many good actors that need it. 
You mention the recent letter from the New England Telehealth Consortium and the 
School, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, which proposes to establish a mechanism 
similar to that in theE-Rate program to rollover unexpended rural healthcare program funds 
from one year to the next. That proposal is currently under review by our hard-working staff in 
the Wireline Competition Bureau. More generally, I have asked Commission staff to look 
closely at the RHC program and to consider ways to better allocate funds within the existing 
program cap. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further 
assistance. 
Sincerely, 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Angus King 
United States Senate 
133 Hart Senate Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
Dear Senator King: 
March 9, 2017 
Thank you for your letter regarding the Commission's rural healthcare program. That 
program provides funding to eligible health care providers (HCPs) for telecommunications and 
broadband services necessary for the provision of health care. I deeply appreciate the 
importance of these HCPs serving rural communities and the need for universal service funding 
in making sure all Americans have access to state-of-the-art healthcare. As the son of a doctor in 
Kansas, who often travelled many miles to see his patients, I am well aware of the difficulty so 
many in rural America have in getting adequate healthcare. 
I have long made ensuring the viability of the RHC program for rural participants a 
priority. When the FCC created the Healthcare Connect Fund in 2012, I pushed the Commission 
to make sure that the majority of the funds were targeted at rural healthcare providers. And last 
December, I pushed the agency to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse in the program to 
ensure sufficient funding for the many good actors that need it. 
You mention the recent letter from the New England Telehealth Consortium and the 
School, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, which proposes to establish a mechanism 
similar to that in theE-Rate program to rollover unexpended rural healthcare program funds 
from one year to the next. That proposal is currently under review by our hard-working staff in 
the Wireline Competition Bureau. More generally, I have asked Commission staff to look 
closely at the RHC program and to consider ways to better allocate funds within the existing 
program cap. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further 
assistance. 
Sincerely, 
~-~ v r~ 
Ajit V. Pai 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFI C E OF 
T HE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen 
United States Senate 
506 Hart Senate Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
Dear Senator Shaheen: 
March 9, 2017 
Thank you for your letter regarding the Commission's rural healthcare program. That 
program provides funding to eligible health care providers (HCPs) for telecommunications and 
broadband services necessary for the provision of health care. I deeply appreciate the 
importance of these HCPs serving rural communities and the need for universal service funding 
in making sure all Americans have access to state-of-the-art healthcare. As the son of a doctor in 
Kansas, who often travelled many miles to see his patients, I am well aware of the difficulty so 
many in rural America have in getting adequate healthcare. 
I have long made ensuring the viability of the RHC program for rural participants a 
priority. When the FCC created the Healthcare Connect Fund in 2012, I pushed the Commission 
to make sure that the majority of the funds were targeted at rural healthcare providers. And last 
December, I pushed the agency to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse in the program to 
ensure sufficient funding for the many good actors that need it. 
You mention the recent letter from the New England Telehealth Consortium and the 
School, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, which proposes to establish a mechanism 
similar to that in theE-Rate program to rollover unexpended rural healthcare program funds 
from one year to the next. That proposal is currently under review by our hard-working staff in 
the Wireline Competition Bureau. More generally, I have asked Commission staff to look 
closely at the RHC program and to consider ways to better allocate funds within the existing 
program cap. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further 
assistance. 
Sincerely, 
~-~v·f~ 
Ajit V. Pai 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Tom Udall 
United States Senate 
531 Hart Senate Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
Dear Senator Udall: 
March 9, 2017 
Thank you for your letter regarding the Commission's rural healthcare program. That 
program provides funding to eligible health care providers (HCPs) for telecommunications and 
broadband services necessary for the provision of health care. I deeply appreciate the 
importance of these HCPs serving rural communities and the need for universal service funding 
in making sure all Americans have access to state-of-the-art healthcare. As the son of a doctor in 
Kansas, who often travelled many miles to see his patients, I am well aware of the difficulty so 
many in rural America have in getting adequate healthcare. 
I have long made ensuring the viability of the RHC program for rural participants a 
priority. When the FCC created the Healthcare Connect Fund in 2012, I pushed the Commission 
to make sure that the majority of the funds were targeted at rural healthcare providers. And last 
December, I pushed the agency to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse in the program to 
ensure sufficient funding for the many good actors that need it. 
You mention the recent letter from the New England Telehealth Consortium and the 
School, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, which proposes to establish a mechanism 
similar to that in theE-Rate program to rollover unexpended rural healthcare program funds 
from one year to the next. That proposal is currently under review by our hard-working staff in 
the Wireline Competition Bureau. More generally, I have asked Commission staff to look 
closely at the RHC program and to consider ways to better allocate funds within the existing 
program cap. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further 
assistance.