Internet2 applauded the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) action to create a pilot program that will help public and non-profit health care providers establish state and regional broadband networks dedicated to health care services, as well as provide funding for these networks to connect to Internet2's nationwide advanced research and education network. This new program will catalyze the formation of a ubiquitous advanced health care network that will serve the country's national interest by improving citizens' access to first class health care services, resources and research.

"This program created by the FCC represents a significant step toward realizing the potential of advanced Internet technology to enhance the quality and availability of health care services by improving access to medical expertise, facilitating the flow of information for research, and streamlining care processes and costs," said Michael McGill, who is responsible for Internet2's health sciences program. "Internet2 looks forward to working with our regional research network connectors and partners, as well as health organizations throughout the country, to understand their specific networking requirements and to rapidly provide the necessary capabilities to support this important work."

By linking high-speed state and regional research and education networks, the nationwide Internet2 backbone now connects more than 46,000 research and education institutions with high-performance, highly reliable networking. Providing connectivity to health networks across the country is a natural extension of Internet2's existing network capabilities and complements its members' ongoing work in the health sciences arena.

Today, Internet2 members, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Ruth Lilly Health Education Center, together with more than 120 other connected health care organizations and medical schools, work collaboratively to develop and deploy advanced Internet technologies in support of health sciences. This collaborative research has yielded significant results in improving the way students, doctors and patients interact, including: the development of virtual surgery technologies that allow medical students to learn skills from experts all over the world; telemedicine applications that can provide patients in rural areas access to doctors from major medical facilities; and identity management technologies that can provide privacy control for patients' medical records.

For more information about the FCC pilot program, http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267605A1.pdf.