Rural Health Care Outreach Conference Call Minutes
March 13, 2003

The filing window for Funding Year 2003 (July 1,2003 – June 30, 2004) will open on March 26, 2003. RHCD has mailed information to over 4,000 potential applicants and has posted a variety of helpful information on its web site. Applicants are also encouraged to call the RHCD helpdesk with any questions, 800-229-5476.

The draft proposed new FCC Form 466 and instructions have been posted to the web site. The FCC must approve the proposed form and instructions prior to their use. RHCD expects to hear from the FCC in early May and will inform applicants when the revised form is available for use.

RHCD is working with telephone companies and the FCC to finalized a list of urban rates for use by applicants. After they have been approved by the FCC, RHCD will post them on the web site so applicants can use them as a “safe harbor” rate. The posted rates will be month-to-month tariff rates and applicants may, as in the past, document their own urban rates as appropriate, such as multi-year discounted rates.

With the start of the new Funding Year, RHCD plans to make electronic certification and submission of FCC Forms 465 and 466 available to all previously posted applicants. Visit the RHCD website after 3/26/03 for details.

The FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rule Making is anticipated in the third quarter of 2003. RHCD will report any new developments as they become available.

Applicants are urged to submit their2002 Funding Year “packets” as soon as possible in order to receive funding. A reminder has been sent to all 2002 applicants who have not yet submitted packets.

Questions?
Call our toll free number 1-800-229-5476 8am-8pm (EST) Monday-Friday.