Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Ajit Pai has proposed an increase in the funding cap for the Universal Service Fund’s Rural Health Care Program, per an official release from the FCC last week.

The current cap of $400 million would be increased to $571 million under the legislation, an attempt to correct for inflation since the program’s inception in 1997.

“This money will help health care providers get the connectivity they need to better serve patients throughout rural America,” Pai said in the release. “Demand for funding has been outpacing the program’s funding cap, so I also believe that the increased cap should apply to the current funding year so that rural health care providers can be fully reimbursed.”

Full release available from the FCC here.