Wireline Bureau Extends Rural Health Filing Deadline Until May 1

The FCC Wireline Bureau granted the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition's request to extend until May 1 the rural healthcare program filing window Wednesday (see 2302270070). It declined to grant the New England Telehealth Consortium and the Connections Telehealth Consortium's joint request for a two-month extension. The "lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic provide the necessary special circumstances to support a limited 28-day extension," said an order in docket 02-60. The bureau said it expects the latest extension to be the last one related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bureau also directed the Universal Service Administrative Co. to file the program's gross demand estimate by July 1 and the determination of unused funding from previous funding years during Q3 of 2023.