PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Loans and grants are to encourage, improve, and make affordable the use of telecommunications, computer networks and related technology for rural communities to improve access to educational and/or medical services.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Rural schools, libraries, hospitals, health care clinics and related organizations which operate rural educational or health care facilities are eligible. Also eligible are Indian tribes, consortiums or partnerships, and other incorporated organizations that operate educational or medical facilities in rural areas. Funds will not be provided to State or local governments; however State supported institutions which provide educational and/or medical services to rural areas are eligible.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: The Distance Learning and Telemedicine program is "hardware intensive", but other costs, limited to the capital costs of establishing the project may be considered. Distance learning situations include linking rural schools within regions to share limited teaching resources, linking a rural school(s) to institutions located in more populated centers, utilizing rural libraries or other community facilities as distance learning centers, linking them with on-line resources or regional institutions, and utilizing job training centers, vocational schools or other facilities incorporated by job training programs. Telemedicine situations include linking rural hospitals and medical clinics to major medical centers or to experts located at other rural facilities, clinical interactive video consultation, distance training of rural health care providers, management and transport of patient information and linking rural facilities to medical expertise or library resources.
CONTACT: This program is administered by the Rural Utilities Service, AG Box 1590, USDA, Washington, D.C. 20250.
For assistance, please contact Brian Queen, Community Programs Specialist. Mr.Queen can be reached at 919-873-2072 or by email:brian.queen@nc.usda.gov.
Please send any comments or suggestions to:
Rdwebmaster@usda.gov
Revised on: August , 2011