Holiday Announcement

Due to the December holidays, the RHCD Customer Service Support Center will be closed at noon EST on December 24 and all day December 25. We will resume operations at 8 a.m. EST on December 26, 2002.

The Customer Service Support Center will be closed in observance of New Year's Day on January 1, 2003. We will resume operations at 8 a.m. EST on January 2.

December Conference Call Cancelled

Holiday Announcement

The Rural Health Care Division will be closed on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29, 2002 in observance of Thanksgiving. The Customer Service Support Center will resume normal operations on Monday, December 2, 2002 at 8:00 a.m., EST.

Web Site Down for Maintenance

We will be performing routine maintenance on our equipment starting Sunday, October 6 at 12:01 a.m., EDT. During this time, users will be unable to visit the Rural Health Care area of the web site. We are expecting normal service to be returned October 7 at 7:00 a.m., EDT. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to serving you.

Important Notice: October 11, 2002 Deadline for Completing FY 2001 Forms 466/468

In order to provide support, RHCD must receive a completed Form 466/468 "packet" from rural health care providers who have applied for support for Funding Year 2001 (July 1, 2001 - June 30, 2002). The packet must be postmarked by October 11, 2002. The Form 466/468 packet informs RHCD that the health care provider has entered into an agreement with a telecommunications carrier for a service believed eligible for the universal service support mechanism. The completed Form 466/468 packet must include:

1.) Form 466 (Services Ordered and Certification Form), completed by the health care provider

2.) Form 468 (Telecommunications Service Providers Support Form), completed by the telecommunications carrier representative

3.) Contract document or tariff designation, provided by either the health care provider or telecommunications carrier representative.

4.) If the health care provider is seeking support based on an urban/rural rate comparison, documentation must be included to show the rate for the selected service(s) in the nearest city of 50,000 or more within the state.

If you have questions or require assistance, please contact our Customer Service Support Center at 1-800-229-5476.

Holiday Announcement

The Rural Health Care Customer Service Center will be closed on Monday, September 2, 2002 in observance of Labor Day. The Customer Service Center will resume normal operations on Tuesday, September 3, 2002 at 8:00 a.m., EDT.

Comments on NPRM Available

All comments on the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rule Making are available to the public. To view comments, go to FCC web site. Under "Proceeding," enter "02-60".

New Funding Commitment Search Tool!

An Automated Search of Commitments is now available for users to obtain information on RHCD funding commitments. Instead of downloading an Excel spreadsheet of all commitments, you can now narrow the results by funding year or state. To try the new search function, click here.

Holiday Announcement

The Rural Health Care Customer Service Center will be closed on Thursday, July 4, 2002 in observance of Independence Day. The Customer Service Center will resume normal operations on Friday, July 5, 2002 at 8:00 a.m., EST.

FY 2001 FCC Form 466/468 Packet Deadline Information

Some applicants have received letters notifying them that their Form 466/468 "packets" have not yet been received for FY 2001 (July 1,2001-June 30, 2002). RHCD would like to clarify that the deadline for sending these packets is NOT July 1,2002. A deadline for receipt of "packets" will be established at a later date (early Fall 2002), but applicants are urged to complete and send their "packets" in as soon as possible.

NPRM Published in Federal Register

The FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), FCC 02-122 has been published in the Federal Register. This begins the 45-day comment period, during which comments on the NPRM may be filed with the FCC. Comments may be filed on paper or electronically, and instructions for doing so may be found in the NPRM.

Electronic Certification for 467 now Available!

Beginning April 29, 2002, FCC Form 467 can be certified and submitted online for Funding Years 2001 (July 1, 2001 - June 30, 2002) and 2002 (July 1, 2002 - June 30, 2003). Like the FCC Form 465, which was made available for electronic certification in January 2002, this feature will allow the user to electronically "sign," "certify," and submit the form to RHCD for processing, without having to print out the form and mail it to RHCD.

To enable E-certification, go to "Enable E-Certification" in the new E-Certification section of our website. The HCP for which you are applying must have submitted a FCC Form 465 in Funding Year 2000 (July 1, 2000 - June 30, 2001) or Year 2001 (July 1, 2001 - June 30, 2002) that was approved with or without funding. You should also have a Funding Commitment Letter and Support Schedule from at least one of those years in your possession. For more information on e-certification, please go to the E-Certification section.

If you encounter any difficulties with the E-Certification option, please call our Customer Service Support Center at 1-800-229-5476.

Equipment Upgrade

We will be upgrading our equipment on Saturday, April 19, 2002 to Sunday, April 20, 2002. During this time, users will be able to browse the Rural Health Care area of the web site but will not have access to certain functions, e.g., apply online, search postings. We are expecting normal service to be returned early morning Sunday, April 20. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to serving you.

FCC Releases NPRM on Rural Health Care Support Mechanism

On April 19, 2002, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), FCC 02-122 (Adobe Acrobat; 260 kb) . This NPRM initiates a review of certain rules governing the universal service support mechanism for rural health care providers. The FCC requested comments on the following aspects of the Rural Health Care Support Mechanism:

How it should treat entities that not only serve as rural health care providers, but also function in other capacities.

Whether to provide discounts on Internet access charges.

Whether to change the calculation of discounted services.

A notice will be posted on this web site when this NPRM is published in the Federal Register. Comments may be submitted after the NPRM is published in the Federal Register. The length of the comment period will be announced upon publication of the NPRM. Comments may be filed on paper or electronically. Instructions for filing comments may be found in the NPRM.

The news release is available here in .pdf format.

New Terminology for Numbering Funding Years

The terminology that RHCD uses for funding years under the Rural Health Care Support Mechanism is changing. Funding years will now be designated by the calendar year in which they begin. Under the new terminology, Funding Year 1998 becomes Funding Year 1998, Funding Year 2 becomes Funding Year 1999, and so on.

RHCD is moving to this new terminology because participants have expressed confusion about the current terminology.

Future communications from RHCD will now use this terminology to refer to all funding years

Packet Status Report

To help you determine the status of your Form 466/468 packet, the RHCD will post a monthly packet status report. The packet status report will be posted to the web site on or about the first of each month. Applicants may visit the web site to determine whether their Form 466/468 packet has been received and whether RHCD has all of the information it needs to make a funding commitment decision.

View Packet Status Report.

Packet Status Report

To help you determine the status of your Form 466/468 packet, the RHCD will post a monthly packet status report. The packet status report will be posted to the web site on or about the first of each month. Applicants may visit the web site to determine whether their Form 466/468 packet has been received and whether RHCD has all of the information it needs to make a funding commitment decision.

View Packet Status Report.

Holiday Announcement

The Rural Health Care Customer Service Center will be closed on Monday, February 18, 2002 in observance of President's Day. The Customer Service Center will resume normal operations on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 at 8:00 a.m., EST.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the RHCD program, our Customer Service Support Center is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., EDT. View Contact Information.

Packet Status Report

To help you determine the status of your Form 466/468 packet, the RHCD will post a monthly packet status report. The packet status report will be posted to the web site on or about the first of each month. Applicants may visit the web site to determine whether their Form 466/468 packet has been received and whether RHCD has all of the information it needs to make a funding commitment decision.

View Packet Status Report.

FCC Appeals Update

Effective immediately RHCD will accept appeals filed under the FCC's amended rules for filing. For more information, visit our Appeals Process page.

FCC Appeals Update

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released an Order (FCC 01-376) which amends its procedural rules for filing appeals. The amended rules are "due to recent emergency events in Washington, D.C. resulting in the unforeseeable and understandable disruption of regular mail delivery and of the processing of other deliveries due to the threat of contamination." The amended rules will become effective on the date the Order is published in the Federal Register (the "effective date") and will remain in effect until further notice. For more information on this and other announced filing changes, visit our Appeals Process page.

Electronic Submission of FCC Form 465 Available for Year 5

Beginning January 28, 2002, FCC Form 465 can be completely submitted and posted online. Electronic certification enables the user to electronically "sign," "certify," submit and post on the RHCD Website FCC Forms 465 for the RHCD application process, without having to print out the form and mail it to RHCD. This new feature will serve to speed up the application process, save paper, and make it easier for applicants to submit and post their FCC Forms 465. Instead of filling out the form online, printing it out, signing it, and sending it for processing, the "E-certification" method will allow FCC Forms 465 to be immediately and automatically posted which will allow the 28-day bidding period to begin immediately.

To qualify for E-certification, the HCP for which you are applying must have submitted a FCC Form 465 in a previous year that was approved for funding. You must also have a Funding Commitment Letter and Support Schedule from a previous year in your possession. For more information on e-certification, please go to the "E-Certification" section.