FCC Approves Spectrum for Medical Sensor Networks
The FCC approved an allocation of 40 MHz of spectrum, to be used on a secondary basis, for a new Medical Body Area Network (MBAN) Thursday, within spectrum set aside for aeronautical mobile telemetry. An agreement on the spectrum took years of negotiations between GE Healthcare and Philips Healthcare with the Aerospace & Flight Test Radio Coordinating Council (AFTRCC). Participants said more than a year ago they had essentially worked out agreement on medical use of the 2360-2340 MHz band (CD Jan 19/11 p 6). Commissioner Robert McDowell questioned why it took more than five years for the FCC to move forward.
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The technology will allow doctors to monitor patients without the use of restrictive cables. But several steps remain before MBAN usage will be a reality. The band is used by agencies including the Department of Defense and NASA to collect real-time data as aircraft are put through flight tests.
"There’s a couple of steps that we still have to go through,” said Office of Engineering and Policy Chief Julius Knapp. “It’s really a very small part of this item. One is, for example, we are proposing to select one coordinator, so we need to go through the formality of establishing the rule to do that and then there are other items, such as what are the selection criteria.” Knapp said “a lot can happen” during the next year or so before a coordinator is selected. “Now that we have rules in place, people can start to plan for networks and design products and go through the authorization process,” he said. “There’s also the step of going through the FDA’s approval process. Until the spectrum was nailed down, you really couldn’t go forward on that."
McDowell said he was pleased to “finally be able” to vote on the order. “I remain as enthusiastic about the promise of this new technology as when I first learned of it way back in 2007,” he said. “Since then, I have made advancement of this proceeding an important priority. Although the government has taken far too long to get to this point, not the fault of anyone at this agency, I'm delighted that we are finally here."
Commissioner Mignon Clyburn said the allocation meets a major need, since only 56 percent of certain beds in acute care hospitals are monitored and a monitored patient has a significantly higher chance of surviving a cardiac arrest -- 48 percent versus 6 percent for unmonitored patients. “These statistics cry out for a solution,” she said. The other members of the commission were also enthusiastic. “However complex the technical details, this item’s purposes are simple, to save lives and reduce healthcare costs,” said Commissioner Ajit Pai, who said he hoped a coordinator would be in place within a year.
"The FCC’s ruling is the culmination of strong collaboration among the medical industry, regulatory officials and aeronautical stakeholders,” said Mike Harsh, chief technology officer at GE Healthcare. “This is an important inflection point, as it enables advances in miniaturized wireless sensors leveraging the latest chip design and clinical measurement technologies. MBANs could significantly enhance quality and access to patient care, while supporting reduced costs.” AFTRCC said it would have to review the text of the order before issuing final comments: “But for now at least we can say ‘well done’ to the Commission and its hard-working staff.”