The Federal Communications Commission today announced $46 million in funding to link hospitals in nine states to broadband telehealth networks and design a telehealth network in Alaska. The nine states are Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The projects are funded under the Rural Health Care Pilot Program, which supports broadband telehealth networks to increase access to care and electronic medical records in rural communities. "There is great potential to improve health care for those communities that currently have limited access to primary, specialty and preventive care; as well as to enhance public safety by connecting health care providers, public health officials and first responders to these networks so that they can share crucial data during emergencies," said Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps. For more on the funded projects, see the FCC news release.