Approval of Medical Spectrum Allocation Took Much Too Long, McDowell Says
The FCC Wednesday approved a long-awaited order approving a secondary spectrum allocation sought by the Alfred Mann Foundation for wirelessly connecting neuromuscular microstimulators implanted in patients with brain and spinal cord injuries and neuromuscular disorders. FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell questioned why it took the FCC five years to act. The FCC approved a notice of inquiry at its July 2006 meeting asking about emerging medical technologies, including those outlined in the Alfred Mann proposal. The order approved Wednesday in a 4-0 vote allocates 24 MHz of 400 MHz band spectrum in four band segments for the MedRadio service on a secondary basis.
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"Sadly, it has taken the government far too long to act in this important proceeding and, regrettably, bureaucratic delay literally forced disabled patients to wait much longer than necessary to benefit from some amazing emerging technologies,” McDowell said. The technology will allow stroke victims, people injured in accidents and wounded veterans to regain the use of their limbs, he said. McDowell offered an apology to these patients, on behalf of the U.S. government, “for consuming nearly half a decade to reach this point."
McDowell said in an interview he appreciates the final push from Chairman Julius Genachowski and Commissioner Michael Copps when he was acting chairman to wrap up the order. “Chairman Genachowski deserves credit for finally bringing this in for a landing, but the flight before he came onboard took way too long,” McDowell said. “Other government agencies had a hand in working on this and sometimes without a great deal of alacrity.”
"I can’t comment on what happened before I started” as chairman, Genachowski said in a press conference following the meeting. “The staff was given a clear directive to move forward and get this done as quickly as possible. There were some obstacles outside of the FCC."
Office of Engineering and Technology Chief Julius Knapp said the FCC moved as quickly as possible. “Bear in mind it is a cutting edge technology both on the medical side and on the techniques that it uses,” Knapp said. “Much of the spectrum that is involved is allocated to the federal agencies, so there was a very rigorous testing process that was undertaken to be absolutely sure that this was going to work and not have any adverse effects.” Knapp said the FCC is working on separate orders that would enable the use of medical body area networks and make changes to the commission’s experimental licensing rules, which should be ready for action “early next year."
Copps credited McDowell for making sure the Alfred Mann petition remained a priority for the commission. McDowell brought the item to his attention after he became acting chairman in 2009, Copps said. “Every once in a while, and today is one of those once in a whiles, we get a chance to talk about something that really can improve people’s lives in really direct and very meaningful ways,” he said.
"In my opinion, this order is one of the most important the commission has adopted during my tenure, because the innovation it unleashes -- medical micro power networks -- has the potential to greatly improve the lives of those who are faced with some of today’s most difficult medical challenges,” said Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.
Commissioners also heard a report on broadband adoption, delivered by Josh Gottheimer, aide to Genachowski. The report said the U.S. home adoption rate is only 68 percent and the U.S. is falling behind other nations. “As the Internet has developed, it has become more and more important in nearly everything we do,” Clyburn said. “With about one-third of our citizens lacking broadband Internet access, too many citizens are cut off from vital information and services, and this is an especially pressing issue to vulnerable communities.”