FCC to Get $200 Million for Telehealth in Stimulus Package (1)

The Federal Communications Commission would receive $200 million to support telehealth services under the economic stimulus package unveiled Wednesday in the Senate.

The prospective measure also would appropriate $100 million for a grant program, overseen by the Department of Agriculture, that would fund construction and upgrade costs of broadband networks in rural areas, according to a Senate Appropriations Committee summary.

The package also includes $25 million for another Agriculture Department grant program that helps rural communities purchase broadband equipment for distance learning and telemedicine, according to the summary.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and agency staff had been in talks ...