Broadband Access
What does broadband access have to do with healthcare?
High-speed broadband is essential infrastructure for rural communities, driving economic growth, expanding healthcare and educational access, and enabling modern agriculture and precision technology across America. Recent technological innovations in healthcare are allowing providers and patients to connect from across entire states, removing access barriers kept patients from quickly receiving the care they need. Telehealth services can be beneficial to patients in rural communities, as well as those who are disabled and/or have mobility issues. Unfortunately, these benefits reach their own limit when patients themselves do not have access to broadband services.
A 2023 report from University of Missouri- St. Louis stated that “Internet access is not only necessary, but it is critical to achieving equity and inclusivity in Missouri’s
community, economy, and culture”. The researchers’ focus group findings suggested that historically disadvantaged groups such as “rural communities, low-income households, BIPOC and disabled people are disproportionately impacted by weak, costly, and unreliable internet access”. In fact, research also shows that these groups are exhibit disproportionally worse health outcomes than non-minority groups.
Although many people might think that in 2026, everyone now has internet access, there are still millions of Americans without internet-accessible devices or even internet access at all, especially in rural communities. Often, these Technology Deserts overlap with Physical and Mental Health Care Provider Deserts (see the FCC’s interactive Broadband Health Map). These disparities interact to compound on the lifestyle inequities affecting people in these regions.
A main strategy to combat the broadband/healthcare access gap meets patients and communities where they are, bringing healthcare access to them digitally though community hubs such as schools, libraries, and county health departments.
Community Broadband
Telehealth Access Points
Telehealth Access Points, or TAPs, are publicly accessible locations for patients to access a telehealth appointment if they do not have the necessary technology or space at home. Required components of a TAP include a small space with privacy considerations such as a door and a white-noise machine, high speed internet, and a computer with a working microphone and webcam. A TAP may also have a staff member on hand to assist with any technology-related issues in getting connected for an appointment.
Check out PulseTRC’s Virtual Health Access Map for a map of TAPs in our region, and add your own TAP to our map for free.
The Northwest Regional TRC has worked to educate public organizations about providing Telehealth Access Points– all that is needed is a secure high-speed wi-fi connection, a private space, and a computer with a webcam and microphone. The NRTRC also provides a map listing registered TAPs– currently this largely includes TAPs in the western United States, although they are working towards a national map.
View Telehealth Classroom’s free course on Telehealth Access Points for Community Organizations.
Public Libraries
Ask your local library about Wi-Fi hotspots, or if they offer private rooms with technology to facilitate telehealth appointments.
During the COVID pandemic, many public libraries began to offer wi-fi hotspots for checkout. This service is still in place at some public libraries. Ask your local library if they offer hotspots for checkout. (news article)
Many libraries are also beginning to help facilitate telehealth appointments within the library space. Click here to see how an Oklahoma advocate secured grant funding for telehealth booths in libraries. Also, learn how the New Mexico State Library is partnering with The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center on this strategy.
List of public libraries offering hotspots in KS, MO, and OK (List is currently being updated)
Veterans Services
The VA provides assistance with loaning telehealth devices, using VA Video Connect without data charges, and finding local telehealth appointment spaces. For VA telehealth assistance, visit https://telehealth.va.gov/.
Virtual Living Room is an FRS grant program that blends rural technology, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) resources and local support to encourage veteran use of advanced medical technologies. Virtual Living Room saves veterans travel time and costs while enabling connections to skilled physicians and other providers in the VA medical system such as telehealth and other online resources.
Funding and Support Opportunities
National
The Rural Health Care Program, provides funding to eligible health care providers for telecommunications and broadband services necessary for the provision of health care.
Eligible health care providers include: (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; (5) not-for-profit hospitals; (6) rural health clinics; (7) skilled nursing facilities (as defined in section 395i–3(a) of title 42 and (8) consortium of health care providers consisting of one or more entities falling into the first seven categories. In addition, eligible health care providers must be non-profit or public. The goal of the program is to improve the quality of health care available to patients in rural communities by ensuring that eligible health care providers have access to telecommunications and broadband services. As of funding year 2017, funding for the Rural Health Care Program is capped at $571 million annually, adjusted for inflation.
The Rural Health Care Program is currently made up of two programs: the Healthcare Connect Fund Program and the Telecommunications Program. The Healthcare Connect Fund Program, established in 2012, provides support for high-capacity broadband connectivity to eligible health care providers and encourages the formation of state and regional broadband health care provider networks. Under the Rural Health Care Program, eligible rural health care providers, and those eligible non-rural health care providers that are members of a consortium that has more than 50 percent rural health care provider sites, receive a 65 percent flat discount on an array of communications services. These services include internet access, dark fiber, business data, traditional digital service line (DSL), and private carriage services.
FCC’s Lifeline Program for Low-Income Consumers
Since 1985, the Lifeline program has provided a discount on phone service for qualifying low-income consumers to ensure that all Americans have the opportunities and security that phone service brings, including being able to connect to jobs, family and emergency services. Lifeline is part of the Universal Service Fund. The Lifeline program is available to eligible low-income consumers in every state, territory, commonwealth, and on Tribal lands.
The Lifeline program is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). USAC is responsible for data collection and maintenance, support calculation, and disbursement for the low-income program. USAC’s website provides information regarding administrative aspects of the low-income program, as well as program requirements.
The ReConnect Loan and Grant Program
The Reconnect Loan and Grant Program furnishes loans and grants to provide funds for the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas.
Mobile Beacon provides affordable, reliable, high-speed internet access to schools, libraries, nonprofits, and healthcare organizations, enabling them to expand digital access and inclusion, and fostering stronger, more connected communities.
Our mission is tied closely to our roots: Mobile Beacon was founded by one of the largest Educational Broadband Service (EBS) providers in the United States. The mission of EBS, to power education through broadband, is the keystone of our organization. It is the basis for our pricing and programs, which seek to make broadband affordable, break down barriers to access, and bring equal educational and digital opportunities to all Americans.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Grants Portal (NGP)
- Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program
- Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program
- State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program: Native Entities (2024)
The Community Connect Program provides financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide broadband service in rural, economically-challenged communities where service does not exist.
USAC- Telecommunications Program
The Telecommunications (Telecom) Program provides reduced rates to rural health care providers (HCPs) for telecommunications and voice services for the use of telemedicine and telehealth. Eligible services are discounted at the difference in cost between urban and rural areas in your state.
State-Specific
Missouri Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program
The Missouri Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program aids entities to deploy broadband service to unserved and underserved areas of the state, and to Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs) through competitive grants.
The BEAD Program is funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and is administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
OneNet: Rural Health Care Program (Oklahoma)
OneNet leverages local, national, public and private partnerships to provide world-class broadband connectivity to institutions that sustain communities and enrich lives. OneNet’s high-performance optical network meets our state’s education, research, health care, and state and local government needs.
OneNet serves higher education institutions, career technology centers, K-12 schools, libraries, research organizations, health care providers, and federal, state, local and tribal government agencies. OneNet does not serve private businesses or private residences.
OneNet partners with other research and education networks across the country to connect Oklahoma to research programs throughout the nation and around the globe. Meeting the diverse set of research and education needs of Oklahoma, OneNet has developed a statewide fiber backbone with a 400Gbps infrastructure serving Oklahoma’s largest research institutions. OneNet operates one of the two Great Plains Network 400Gbps on-ramps to Internet2, as well as directly connects to other statewide research networks through Internet2.
