FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced that the new Health Care Connect Fund program will provide $400m in annual funding to healthcare providers. He said the Healthcare Connect Fund will “spur the development of broadband networks to support modern telemedicine, which will link urban medical centers to rural clinics or provide instant access to health records.”

A key focus of the program is serving rural hospitals and clinics that have limited broadband connectivity options. Applicants will be able to get access to a 65 per cent discount on broadband services, connections to research and education networks, and health care provider facilities. The FCC also plans to launch a new Skilled Nursing Facilities Pilot Program that will test how to support broadband connections for nursing facilities.

FierceTelecom: FCC launches $400 million health care development fund; TelecomTV content partner.