Resources and Training

The application window for the second round of COVID-19 Telehealth Program funding opened on Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. ET and closed on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. ET. HCPs who need support during the application filing window can email USAC at Round2TelehealthApplicationSupport@usac.org.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted the $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program in a Report and Order released April 2, 2020. The COVID-19 Telehealth Program was established by the FCC in response to the public health emergency brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this program, the FCC will distribute the $200 million Congress appropriated under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to help health care providers (HCPs) provide telehealth services to patients at their homes or mobile locations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 Telehealth Program is open to eligible HCP sites that treat patients, whether located in rural or non-rural areas or U.S. territories. The COVID-19 Telehealth Program is limited to nonprofit and public eligible HCPs that fall within the categories of HCPs in section 254(h)(7)(B) of the 1996 Telecommunications Act:

  1. Post-secondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, teaching hospitals, and medical schools;
  2. Community health centers or health centers providing health care to migrants;
  3. Local health departments or agencies;
  4. Community mental health centers (CMHCs);
  5. Not-for-profit hospitals;
  6. Rural health clinics;
  7. Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs); or
  8. Consortia of HCPs consisting of one or more entities falling into the first seven categories.

For purposes of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which is authorized by the CARES Act, and not the 1996 Telecommunications Act, both rural and non-rural health clinics are eligible to receive funding.

In order to apply to the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, you will need to:

  1. Request an eligibility determination from USAC by filing an FCC Form 460
  2. Obtain an FCC Registration Number (FRN) and an FCC Commission Registration System (CORES) ID
  3. Start the process for registering for a System for Awards Management (SAM) account

To learn more about the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, eligibility, and application process, watch our most recent webinars.