The Federal Communications Commission has unanimously endorsed a proposal to free up for unlicensed use the so-called TV white spaces—vacant airwaves between TV channels—that supporters predict will improve the availability of new technologies such as "super Wi-Fi" for underserved areas, including rural healthcare providers.
It's the first significant block of spectrum made available for unlicensed use in more than 20 years.
"This new unlicensed spectrum will be a powerful platform for innovation. And as we've seen time and again, when we unleash American ingenuity, great things happen," said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, after Thursday's 5-0 vote.
"We know from experience that unlicensed spectrum can trigger unexpected but hugely beneficial innovation. For example, years ago, there was a band of low-quality spectrum that was lying fallow. Nobody could figure out what to do with this so-called 'junk band,' so the FCC decided to free it up as unlicensed spectrum. The result was a wave of new technologies—baby monitors, cordless phones, and eventually a real game changer: Wi-Fi. Today, Wi-Fi is a multi-billion industry and an essential part of the mobile ecosystem," he said.
Genachowski described the TV white spaces spectrum as "far more robust" than the airwaves released for unlicensed use in 1985, with the ability to travel longer distances and through walls.
Hocking Valley Community Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital in rural Logan, OH, is the first hospital in the nation to access TV white spaces through a demonstration project funded by Google and Spectrum Bridge Inc., a Lake Mary, FL-based wireless software and services provider.
HVCH's President/CEO LeeAnn Lucas-Helber says the hospital located 50 miles southeast of Columbus has already seen improved Internet access with white space, which was installed at the end of August.
"This is a rural hospital. We are in a very lovely setting with a lot of foliage. This is the type of technology that is able to get through challenging topographies. It's a neat technology that could be greatly utilized in rural settings," Lucas-Helber says.
"A lot of places where you go, whether they are healthcare facilities or retail outlet, they are Wi-Fi hotspots. We didn't have that before," she said. "We were beginning to get to a point where if you had a family member here in the hospital, or maybe you needed to be connected to work or communicating with your family via some type of electronic device, we couldn't provide that for the families before. Now we can."
Under the demonstration project, radios using commercially available Wi-Fi technology were deployed around HVCH to increase broadband access for wireless data transfer from first responder vehicles, indoor broadband access for enhanced connectivity in the hospital, and outdoor video security surveillance.
Joe Hamilla, COO at Spectrum Bridge, says that "because of its exceptional range and propagation characteristics, a TV white space network is ideal for rural and underserved areas. Doctors can transfer medical records to a hospital or receive medical records from a hospital at broadband speeds."
He said TV white space also allows ambulances and EMTs to send and receive critical data from hospitals and clinics for on-scene treatment or procedures, and medical data can be transmitted from the home to the doctor or hospital for patient monitoring and emergency notification.
Lucas-Helber says white space could also complement the move toward electronic health records and other aspects of telemedicine, particularly when white space spectrums have the capacity to carry secure patient data. "It's a great opportunity to complement and off load some of the network traffic that we have in our facility. Some might be more appropriate for white space network, while others might be more appropriate for a different type of network. I can see them working nicely together," she says.
Hamilla says that while TV white space itself is not secure for sending sensitive medical data, wireless network providers can install high levels of security for the data transmitted throughout the network.
Lucas-Helber says she's not sure when the demonstration project will expire. When it does, she's not sure how much it will cost to maintain access to white spaces. However, she says cost will play a big role in whether or not HVCH continues to access TV white space when the demonstration project expires.
"Would I have been able to pursue Wi-Fi as a high priority given the other competing needs at the hospital? We wouldn't have been able to do that without any kind of outside help," she says. "It would be great if they would make it reasonable for folks."
Hamilla says that when TV white space becomes widely adopted the pricing on equipment and subscriber devices will be on a par with the costs of Wi-Fi.
John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.