FCC Proposes Cap Increase for RHC
On June 6, 2018, Chairman Pai announced that he is circulating a
draft order that would increase the current $400 million cap for the Universal
Service Fund's Rural Healthcare Program. The News Release can be
viewed here. Chairman
Pai has proposed to increase the cap to $571 million, the amount the cap would
be if it had been indexed to inflation since the program’s inception. If
adopted, the order could eliminate the need to prorate the 2017 funding
requests because the demand exceeded the cap. The five FCC commissioners
will have to vote on the draft order but they can do that at any time; they do
not have to wait for the next Commission meeting in July.
