Broadband gaps still block rural telehealth access
- Inadequate broadband blocks telehealth for 11.9 million U.S. residents
- 88% of those affected live in rural communities
- The study used the FCC’s 100/20-Mbps broadband benchmark
- 89% of rural residents hold broadband but still lack telehealth-grade speed
BURLINGTON, UNITED STATES — Inadequate broadband speeds are blocking telehealth access for 11.9 million United States residents, with 88% of those affected concentrated in rural communities where the digital divide persists despite widespread device ownership.
Rural communities in the South and West carry the highest concentration of residents below the federal broadband threshold required for telehealth connectivity.
Rural South and West most affected
According to Healthcare Dive, researchers from the University of Vermont analyzed broadband coverage and telehealth access for more than 249 million people across 41 states, using the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) 100/20-megabits-per-second standard as the benchmark for adequate virtual care connectivity.
Published in JAMA Health Forum on September 18, the study found that 11.9 million people live in broadband deserts where speeds fall below the FCC threshold.
Among rural residents, 95% have access to computing devices and 89% hold broadband subscriptions, yet the study found neither metric ensures telehealth access when connection quality falls below the 100/20-Mbps threshold required for virtual care.
University of Vermont researchers found that “while broadband availability and subscriptions are prerequisites for telehealth, its presence does not inherently guarantee use.”
Affordability and policy gaps compound barriers
Beyond connection speed, researchers identified affordability, low digital literacy, inadequate technology access, and limited telehealth service availability as additional barriers preventing rural residents from accessing virtual care, even in areas where some broadband service technically exists.
The cost of adequate broadband service adds a financial layer on top of the infrastructure gap, with rural households in underserved regions paying for connections that still fall short of the 100/20-Mbps threshold required for telehealth, compounding the access shortfall for communities where virtual care would most reduce travel burdens.
University of Vermont researchers called on policymakers to expand broadband infrastructure investment and broaden telehealth reimbursement coverage, noting the access shortfall demands a coordinated response that addresses both the physical infrastructure gap and the financial barriers that limit rural households’ ability to pay for adequate service.
For health systems and rural clinics serving patients in broadband-constrained regions, healthcare outsourcing offers an administrative cost lever that operates independently of infrastructure investment timelines, allowing organizations to reduce administrative overhead while reimbursement policy extends to underserved service areas.
Outsourcing prior authorization (PA), patient scheduling, and remote care coordination to offshore business process outsourcing (BPO) specialists lowers per-patient administrative cost, frees clinical staff for direct care delivery, and allows rural telehealth programs to scale operations before infrastructure gaps are fully resolved.
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Disclosure: Outsource Accelerator uses AI tools in the backend of its editorial workflow. Every article is reviewed and verified by a human editor before publication.
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