Federal funding could help narrow the digital divide ByMeganNelson
Networks Reimbursement Program. The programprovides small, rural telecommu- nications providers funds to offset the cost of removing prohibited equipment that poses national security risks to their net- works and replacing it with more secure technology. The FCC initiative took shape after two companies—Huawei and ZTE— were designated as threats to the commu- nications supply chain. Also included in the Senate legislation is $78.1 billion for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, which can be used for telehealth access, among other initiatives. On Aug. 3, President Donald Trump signed the Executive Order on Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access. The order outlines the administration’s direc- tives to expand telehealth services during the COVID-19 emergency and after. Focusing on rural accessibility, the ad- ministrationorder iscenteredoninfrastruc- ture build-out to enable wider telehealth measuresand investigatingneededregula- tory reformto fast-track these services. The COVID-19 emergency persists throughout the nation, alongside the growing digital divide. Rural residents and the health care providers and schools that serve themaremore reliant than ever on telehealth and distance learning infra- structure,whichareonlyas effectiveas the broadband connecting them. TheCARESActallocatedmorethan$500 millionfor rural broadbandprograms, and negotiations are underway for the next stimulus package. Rural communities are hopeful thenextbillwill includeadditional funding to reduce the digital divide. (Megan Nelson is an economic analyst for the American FarmBureau Federation inWashington, D.C. This piecewas adapted fromapostingontheAFBFMarketIntelblog.)
Likeall families, farmfamilieshavemany worries about the COVID-19 health crisis, and the lackof broadbandaccess adds an- other obstacle. Never has the
With more schools em- ploying dis- tance learning, the need for better broad- band access in rural areas has become even more obvious.
need for broad- band deployment fundingbeenmore obvious. School districtsaroundthe country are open- ing virtually and heal th care ser- vices are operating
Megan Nelson
via telehealth platforms, yet more than 19 million rural Americans donot havehigh- speed internet access. This article highlights the congres- sional and executive actions related to rural broadband expansion during the COVID-19 emergency. S i gned i nt o l aw Ma rch 27 , t he Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allocatesmore than $500 million to help rural communities connect to broadband internet. The CARES Act included $100 million for the Rural Utility Service Reconnect Pilot Programunder the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which provides grants for the construction, improvement or acqui- sition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas. The CARES Act also increases theRuralUtilityServiceDistanceLearning, Telemedicine, and Broadband Program fundingby$25million, allowing theagen- cy to provide additional grants to support rural communities’ access to telecommu- nications-enabled information, audioand video equipment. To support the growing need for tele- health services due to the COVID-19
emergency, the CARES Act also pro- vided the Federal Communications Commission with $200 million for its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. The pro- gramsupports eligiblehealthcareprovid- ers responding to COVID-19 by providing telecommunications services, informa- tion services and the devices necessary to enable telehealth services. Additionally, themeasureset aside$180 million from the $127 billion increase in funding for theDepartment ofHealthand Human Services PublicHealth and Social Services Emergency Fund to expand ser- vices and capacity for rural hospitals, in- cluding telehealth. On May 15, the House passed the HealthandEconomicRecoveryOmnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, which would provide $8.8 billion for the creation of the Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund within the FCC, to be used through Sept. 30, 2021. The fund would focus primarily on subsidizing broadbandconnectivity for schools, librar- iesandlow-incomehouseholds, providing an internet bill discount of up to $50.
The HEROES Act also includes a $5 bil- lion increase to the FCC E-Rate program for schools and libraries topurchaseWi-Fi hotspots,modems, routers andother con- nection-related devices for students who do not have broadband access. Additionally, the HEROES Act provides $2 billion to the Universal Service Fund Healthcare Connect Fund Programfor el- igible health care providers, for telecom- municationsandbroadbandservicesnec- essary to improve thequalityof healthcare available topatients inrural communities. Housestimulus legislationalso includes prescriptive funding for the Broadband DATA Act, providing $24 million to im- prove theaccuracyof broadbandcoverage and better direct federal funds for broad- band build-out. The Senate announced the details of its Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools, or HEALS Act, on July27.TheHEALSActdoesnotproposeany specific allocations for broadband build- out; however, it does provide $1 billion for the Secure and Trusted Communications
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