“Broadband is the word of the day. Highspeed, high-capacity, always-on, interactive services are universally regarded as the future of telecommunications. The potential for broadband is enormous. The applications made possible, such as telemedicine, distance learning, real time sign language interpreting and others, offer innovative ways to live, work and learn.”

“There is no single ‘killer’ application. In fact, there are countless applications that are tremendously valuable. For a patient in rural Georgia who needs specialized health care from an urban hospital, telemedicine is a killer app. For students in a low-income school district who have textbooks that are older than they are, distance learning that connects them to dazzling research and resources is a killer app. Broadband’s power lies in the flexibility of the technology. It can be used by different people and communities to address different problems in different ways.”

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“As more Americans are able to utilize advanced telecommunications technology, telemedicine will continue to grow as a medical tool. The “Electronic HouseCall System” (EHC) was implemented in Augusta, Georgia. “From the home unit, the patient could check his or her pulse, blood pressure, blood oxygenation, temperature, glucose levels and heart function with a modified lead 2 electrocardiogram. This information is then sent to the medical staff.”

“The patient and provider could also interact online through a videoconference. The clinician could use a stethophone to expand examination of the patient. The utility of the system was in many ways tied to available bandwidth. With broadband capability, the EHC system could incorporate a wider array of monitoring tools such as spirometers, fetal heart monitors and uterine activity monitors. Development of advanced health care services is unlikely without dedicated high-speed connections. Current incarnations such as DSL and cable modems are acceptable, but still limit the scope of potential applications. With general bandwidth availability, telemedicine technologies can be used to expand access to medical services and explore the delivery of more sophisticated medical services.”