News for and about the Internet2 community

["Lauren Rotman" <>]

Internet2 Applauds New FCC Program To Build Advanced Internet Infrastructure
Dedicated To Healthcare

FCC Pilot Program to Facilitate Creation of Regional Health Networks and
Enable Connections to Internet2's Nationwide Advanced Research and Education
Network 

WASHINGTON D.C. - September 26, 2006 - Internet2 applauds the Federal
Communications Commission's (FCC) action today 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 healthcare network that will serve the
country's national interest by improving citizens' access to first class
healthcare services, resources and research.

"This program created by the FCC represents a significant step towards
realizing the potential of advanced Internet technology to enhance the
quality and availability of healthcare services by improving access to
medical expertise, facilitating the flow of information for research, and
streamlining care processes and costs," said Dr. 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 over 120 other
connected healthcare 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 visit: 
http://www.fcc.gov or 
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267605A1.pdf

About Internet2
Internet2 is the foremost U.S. advanced networking consortium. Led by the
research and education community since 1996, Internet2 promotes the missions
of its members by providing both leading-edge network capabilities and
unique partnership opportunities that together facilitate the development,
deployment and use of revolutionary Internet technologies. Internet2 brings
the U.S. research and academic community together with technology leaders
from industry, government and the international community to undertake
collaborative efforts that have a fundamental impact on tomorrow's Internet.
For more information: http://www.internet2.edu/

Media Contact:
Lauren Rotman, Internet2

202.331.5345