FCC Record, Volume 27, No. 20, Pages 16663 to 16919, Supplement (December 2012) Page: 16,743
iii, 16663-16919 p. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
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142. Specifically, subject to the conditions and restrictions set forth below, we provide support
in the Healthcare Connect Fund for connections used by eligible HCPs: (i) between eligible HCP sites
and off-site data centers or off-site administrative offices, (ii) between two off-site data centers, (iii)
between two off-site administrative offices, (iv) between an off-site data center and the public Internet or
another network, and (v) between an off-site administrative office and an off-site data center or the public
Internet or another network. We also expand the eligibility of network equipment to provide support for
such equipment when located at an off-site administrative office or an off-site data center. In addition, we
establish that support for such connections and/or network equipment is available both to single HCP
applicants or consortium applicants under the Healthcare Connect Fund. Finally, for the reasons given
below, we include support for connections at such off-site locations even if they are not owned or
controlled by the HCP.
143. We adopt this rule today with certain conditions and restrictions to ensure the funding is
used to support only eligible public or non-profit HCPs and to protect the program from potential waste,
fraud, and abuse.37" First, the connections and network equipment must be used solely for health care
379
purposes. Second, the connections and network equipment must be purchased b an eligible HCP or a
public or non-profit health care system that owns and operates eligible HCP sites.3 Third, if traffic
associated with one or more ineligible HCP sites is carried by the supported connection and/or network
equipment, the ineligible HCP sites must allocate the cost of that connection and/or equipment between
eligible and ineligible sites, consistent with the "fair share" principles set forth below. "' These
conditions and requirements should fully address the concerns of those commenters who fear that these
additional supported connections may be used long-term for non-health care purposes.332
144. As commenters point out, HCPs often find increased efficiencies by locating
administrative offices and data centers apart from the site where patient care is provided.3 This is
especially true for groups of HCPs, including smaller HCPs, who often share administrative offices
and/or data centers, to save money and pool resources.'" Furthermore, it does not make practical sense to
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the deadline for filing funding commitment requests has already passed in the Pilot Program. Expanding eligibility
for the Pilot program, especially retroactively as requested, would also be administratively burdensome. We
encourage any current Pilot Program participants to obtain support for these connections through the Healthcare
Connect Fund.
37 See. e.g., Marshfield Reply Comments at 4 (suggesting that the FCC "ensure proper controls are in place to
validate that a data center is indeed, a critical component of [the] overall approach to delivering health care services
for the HCP").
379 See Appendix D, 47 C.F.R. 54.637(bX2): see also IHS Comments at 9 (suggesting that the Commission
guarantee that the supported services "be used long-term for health care purposes"); TeleQuality Comments at 6.
30 See Avera Comments at 7-8.
381 See infra section V.C.4; see. e.g., NCTN Comments at 11-12 (supporting the use of a "fair share" arrangement
similar to the Pilot Program).
382 See IHS Comments at 9; see also Marshfield Reply Comments at 4 (requesting the Commission put in place the
necessary controls to ensure funding is indeed supporting eligible HCP sites).
ns See, e.g., NPRM, 25 FCC Rcd at 9417, para. 118 n.235; CTN Comments at 26 (explaining that it has become a
best practice for HCPs to locate their administrative facilities off site from the provider's primary facility).
3 See. e.g., Broadband Principals Comments at 14 (stating that that "many small [HCPs] may prefer to run their
telecommunications through a group which can provide expertise and help them realize economies of scale."); USF
Consultants Comments at 2 (stating that "[a] consortium of small hospitals can cost effectively share a single health
(continued...)16743
Federal Communications Commission
FCC 12-150
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United States. Federal Communications Commission. FCC Record, Volume 27, No. 20, Pages 16663 to 16919, Supplement (December 2012), book, December 2012; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc171156/m1/90/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.