NEW ORLEANS -- In his continuing effort to make sure that all Americans have access to the benefits of the communications revolution, Vice President Al Gore today (10/21) announced $10.2 million in federal telecommunications loans and grants to improve health and education services for more than 1.7 million rural Americans, including many who live in some of the nation's poorest regions. Louisiana will receive $827,000 in grants and $81,000 in loans.
"This country cannot afford a digital divide between those who have access to the benefits of the Information Superhighway, and those who do not," the Vice President said. "We must make sure that all Americans -- rich and poor, urban and rural -- have access to the benefits of the communications revolution. The $10.2 million in federal telecommunications loans and grants will help make sure that people living in rural areas can have the same quality health care and education as people living in urban areas."
Speaking at Louisiana State University Medical Center, the Vice President announced that more than 235,000 rural students and 1.49 million patients of clinics or hospitals serving rural areas will benefit from new technology under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA Secretary Dan Glickman joined the Vice President in making the announcement.
Louisiana, with five DLT projects being funded, is one of the major beneficiaries of the program. It will receive $827,000 in grants and $81,000 in loans. One of the larger awards in the state is a $299,000 telemedicine grant awarded to the Lower Cameron Hospital Service District in Cameron, LA, which will result in early diagnosis and treatment for medically under served residents of rural Southwest Louisiana.
"When someone is critically ill, every second matters," the Vice President said. "Telemedicine technology will help save lives by providing the same quality of health care for rural Americans that is enjoyed by people who live close to urban areas."
Distance learning funds will likewise have a major impact on the quality of education in rural areas, the Vice President said. "The distance learning projects we are funding today will help ensure that children in the rural areas get the kind of education they need to be successful in a global economy."
The DLT program recently has been changed to add a loan and loan/grant component to the older grant program. Of the $10.2 million awarded today, $8.6 million is being provided as grants and $1.6 million as loans issued in combination with grants.
Secretary Glickman said, "By awarding grants to the neediest communities and loan/grant combinations to those that don't need quite as much help, we are stretching taxpayer dollars further. Our goal is to improve people's lives through enhanced education and health care services. In doing so, we help boost overall economic development and opportunity by making rural communities even better places to live and do business."
The telemedicine program allows rural health care providers to electronically link with major medical centers and specialists. Many rural areas are served by only one or two general practice doctors. With telemedicine, a medical specialist located hundreds of miles away can use video and other monitoring devices to examine a patient living in a remote area. Similarly, with distance learning, students in small rural schools can use interactive video equipment to participate in advanced classes not available in their local school.
Secretary Glickman said the DLT program "works hand-in-glove" with recent reductions of 90 to 20 percent in monthly telecommunications bills paid by schools (kindergarten through 12th grade), libraries and rural health care providers. While the DLT program funds end-user equipment purchases, the reduced rates make monthly connection bills less expensive. The President and Vice President have urged the Federal Communications Commission to discount telecommunications costs by $2.25 billion per year for schools and libraries and by $400 million per year for rural health care providers.
Among the funding recipients will be seven that serve either Rural Empowerment Zones or Rural Enterprise Communities, eight that serve Champion Communities (these are rural areas and communities with persistently high poverty rates which are receiving special economic development assistance under a Presidential initiative) and four that serve Native American tribes.
Including today's announcement, the DLT program has provided $50.1 million in grants to rural America. This is the first year of the loan programs with $1.6 million in loans being extended in combination with the grants.