RUS Invites Bids by March 14 for Distance Learning, Telemedicine Grants

Applications are due March 14 for Distance Learning and Telemedicine grants offered by the Rural Utilities Service, said an agency notice in the Federal Register Tuesday. The DLT program aims to give rural Americans access to education, training and healthcare resources. The grants, which are awarded through a competitive process, seek "to encourage and improve telemedicine and distance learning services in rural areas through the use of telecommunications, computer networks, and related advanced technologies that students, teachers, medical professionals, and rural residents can use," RUS said. "Grants are intended to benefit end-users in rural areas, who are often not in the same location as the source of the educational or health care service." The minimum grant level is $50,000 and the maximum is $500,000 for this fiscal year.