The FCC has extended the funding year 2021 application filing deadline for the Rural Health Care (RHC) Program until June 1, 2021. The RHC Program includes the Telecommunications (Telecom) Program and the Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) Program. Almost a year ago, the FCC extended the filing deadline for funding year 2020 applications due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the emergence of new, more contagious variants and increased demand for testing and vaccination, the FCC determined it was in the public interest to adopt this Order extending the filing window in order to accommodate rural health care providers burdened with the challenges of the continued public health emergency.
