Announcements
October 4, 2024
RHC Connect Outage Due to System Upgrade: October 6, 2024
RHC Connect will be unavailable on Sunday, October 6 from 7:00 p.m.- midnight ET due to a scheduled system upgrade. During this time, users will be unable to log in to and use RHC Connect. We apologize for any inconvenience.
October 3, 2024
RHC Program News
View the October Newsletter
September 30, 2024
FCC Forms 460 and 465 Available in RHC Connect!
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) approval for the FCC Forms 460 and 465. These forms are now available in RHC Connect.
- Per FCC Order 23-110, the FCC Form 460 will now be used to determine eligibility of health care provider (HCP) sites in the Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) Program and the Telecommunications (Telecom) Program. In addition, applicants may be granted conditional eligibility, thus allowing them to initiate competitive bidding and request funding before they meet all eligibility requirements. An HCP must meet all eligibility requirements before it receives a funding commitment.
- The FCC Form 465 will be used to request services for the Telecom Program, the same way the FCC Form 461 is used in the HCF Program. It is now available for use in RHC Connect.
Moving forward, please submit all FCC Forms 460 and 465 in RHC Connect. For forms in submitted status, once reviewed and approved, information in all forms submitted in My Portal will be migrated to RHC Connect.
Note: If you have an FCC Form 460 or 465 in submitted status, please respond quickly to any Information Requests so the application can be approved, and the information can be migrated to RHC Connect.
In addition, for the HCF Program, Letters of Agency (LOA) and Letters of Exemption (LOE) will now be submitted in RHC Connect.
For more information, please visit the following webpages on the USAC website:
- Welcome to RHC Connect – FCC Form 460 – HCF Program
- Welcome to RHC Connect – FCC Form 460 – Telecom Program
- Welcome to RHC Connect – FCC Form 465 – Telecom Program
- LOA User Guide – HCF Program
September 6, 2024
RHC Connect Outage Due to System Upgrade: September 6, 2024
RHC Connect will be unavailable on Friday, September 6 from 7:00 p.m.-midnight ET due to a scheduled system upgrade. During this time, users will be unable to log in to and use RHC Connect. We apologize for any inconvenience.
September 5, 2024
RHC Program News
View the September Newsletter
August 30, 2024
FY2023 Annual Report Due September 30!
All Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) participants receiving Rural Health Care (RHC) program funding are required to submit an annual report to USAC by September 30 following the funding year (FY) in which funding was provided. Per FCC Order 19-78, both individual and consortia applicants must submit the report to USAC using the FY2023 Annual Report Template. Applicants should email the completed template to RHC-Outreach@usac.org by the deadline. Please include the HCP number in the subject line of the email and in the file name of the template. This information will supplement information collected in HCF Program forms and includes information allowing the FCC to assess progress towards the performance goals and measures of the HCF Program.
August 9, 2024
RHC Connect Outage Due to System Upgrade: August 9, 2024
RHC Connect will be unavailable on Friday, August 9 from 7:00 p.m.-midnight ET due to a scheduled system upgrade. During this time, users will be unable to log in to and use RHC Connect. We apologize for any inconvenience.
August 1, 2024
RHC Program News
View the August Newsletter
July 12, 2024
RHC Connect Outage Due to System Upgrade: July 14, 2024
RHC Connect will be unavailable on Sunday, July 14 from 7:00 p.m.-midnight ET due to a scheduled system upgrade. During this time, users will be unable to log in to and use RHC Connect. We apologize for any inconvenience.
July 3, 2024
RHC Program News
View the July Newsletter
June 17, 2024
FCC Announces Availability of Unused Funds to Fully Fund Rural Health Care Program Demand for FY2024
On June 14, 2024, the FCC Wireline Competition Bureau directed USAC to carry forward up to $161.57 million in unused funds from prior funding years to satisfy funding year (FY) 2024 demand for the Rural Health Care program. Because of this, all eligible RHC Program funding requests filed during the funding year 2024 application filing window can now be fully funded without prioritization. Please read the Public Notice for more information.
June 14, 2024
RHC Connect Outage Due to System Upgrade: June 16, 2024
RHC Connect will be unavailable on Sunday, June 16 from 7:00 p.m.-midnight ET due to a scheduled system upgrade. During this time, users will be unable to log in to and use RHC Connect. We apologize for any inconvenience.
June 6, 2024
RHC Program News
June 3, 2024
Submit Your Telecommunications Program Invoice by July 1, 2024!
Per FCC Order 23-110, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established a deadline of July 1, 2024 for Telecom Program participants to submit invoices for funding years 2019 and earlier, the period during which there was no invoice filing deadline in the Telecom Program.
If you are planning to submit a disbursement request (invoice) for the remaining commitment balance(s), please submit the request(s) in My Portal by July 1, 2024. After that date, the outstanding commitment balance will no longer be available. Unused balances for Telecom funding commitments will be de-obligated and returned to the Universal Service Fund for use in the RHC Program in accordance with the public interest.
For more information about submitting Telecom invoices, please visit the Invoice USAC webpage on the USAC website or contact the RHC Invoicing team at RHC-invoicing@usac.org.
May 17, 2024
RHC Connect Outage Due to System Upgrade: May 19, 2024
RHC Connect will be unavailable from Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. – Monday, May 20, 2024 at 1:00 a.m. ET due to a scheduled system upgrade. During this time, users will be unable to log in to and use RHC Connect. We apologize for any inconvenience.
May 2, 2024
RHC Program News
View the May Newsletter
May 1, 2024
FCC Released Order DA 24-366 Directing USAC to Accept Late-Filed Funding Requests
On April 18, 2024, the FCC released Order DA 24-366 waiving the application filing deadline and directing USAC to allow health care providers to submit funding requests for the RHC program for 30 days after the close of each application filing window. If the FCC grants a waiver of the application for the late-filed funding request, USAC will then process the funding request as if it had been filed prior to the end of the filing window. If the health care provider does not request a waiver for a late-filed funding request or if the FCC denies the waiver, USAC will dismiss the funding request.