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The grants, awarded to 42 states and 3 U.S. territories, provide fundingto help forward-thinking public and non-profit health care providers establish69 state and regional broadband networks dedicated to health care services aswell as enable these networks to connect to nationwide advanced research andeducation networks like Internet2.
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"Today's announcement marks a major milestone in bringing our nation onestep closer towards realizing the promise of advanced Internet technology tosignificantly enhance the quality and availability of healthcare services. Weapplaud the FCC and Chairman Martin for their foresight and vision in thismost important arena," said Dr. Michael McGill, director of Internet2's healthsciences program. "Internet2 also congratulates the grant recipients for theirhard work and dedication in cultivating regional coalitions and developingcomprehensive proposals that we believe will fulfill the vision of providingrobust healthcare to all areas of our nation. We look forward to our worktogether in the coming months and years to bring this vital program tofruition."
By linking high-speed state and regional research and education networks,the new nationwide Internet2 Network connects close to 50,000 research andeducation institutions and extends the most robust capabilities that areuniquely suited for healthcare and health sciences applications that requirereliability and consistent performance. Providing connectivity to healthnetworks across the country is a natural extension of Internet2's existingnetwork capabilities and complements its members' ongoing work in the healthsciences arena.
Today, Internet2 connects over 140 healthcare organizations and medicalschools including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the HealthcareInformation and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Charles R. Drew Universityof Medicine and Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Ruth LillyHealth Education Center together. These organizations work collaboratively todevelop and deploy advanced Internet technologies in support of healthsciences. This research has yielded significant results in improving the waystudents, doctors, and patients interact, including the development of virtualsurgery technologies that allow medical students to learn skills from expertsall over the world; telemedicine applications that can provide patients inrural areas access to doctors from major medical facilities; and identitymanagement technologies that can provide privacy control for patients' medicalrecords.
For more information about the FCC pilot program visit:http://www.internet2.edu/rhcp/ or http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/rural/rhcp.html.
About Internet2
Internet2 is the foremost U.S. advanced networking consortium. Led by theresearch and education community since 1996, Internet2 promotes the missionsof its members by providing both leading-edge network capabilities and uniquepartnership opportunities that together facilitate the development, deploymentand use of revolutionary Internet technologies. Internet2 brings the U.S.research and academic community together with technology leaders fromindustry, government and the international community to undertakecollaborative efforts that have a fundamental impact on tomorrow's Internet.For more information: http://www.internet2.edu/.
SOURCE Internet2
