National Broadband Plan, Nationalized Health Care, and Electronic Health Records

New Survey Shows Hospitals Are Adopting Health IT Models

September 9, 2010

Broadband for America - A new survey from the Premier health alliance finds that hospitals are making progress on reporting health care data to a national electronic network. From the survey:

“According to a survey of participants in an August 25 Premier teleconference, nearly 60 percent of respondents are already enrolled in the network and 41 percent of respondents are both enrolled and already submitting the required data. More than 2,300 health care representatives joined the teleconference.”

"The final Medicare policies incorporate numerous quality measures that hospitals should understand to avoid payment cuts," said Danielle Lloyd, Premier's senior director for reimbursement policy. "The ability to focus on evidence-based care, compare against others, work with physicians, make changes in performance and use appropriate coding will help hospitals steer clear of these cuts while advancing patient safety and the quality of care they provide."

You can read more about the survey results here.

Broadband Projects in the News

September 8, 2010

Broadband for America - As funding from the national broadband stimulus continues to make its way across all 50 states, we’re highlighting some of the new high-speed Internet expansion efforts getting underway. Here is a look at three more broadband projects making news this week:

Alabama: $59 million has been awarded to Trillion Communications Corp. for a project that will expand broadband access across eight counties. The project comes with nearly $27 million in matching private funds, connecting 172,000 residents, 3,000 businesses and 400 community institutions. The project is expected to create more than 550 new jobs. Read more about the project here.

Michigan: A $70 million grant has been awarded to Merit Network, Inc. to build 1,210 miles of fiber across Northern Michigan. “We’re basically building an interstate to which local providers can connect and offer services,” said Merit CEO Don Welch. “It’s really building a strong foundation known as the ‘middle mile,’ and we have commercial partners who can provide services to homes and businesses in the ‘last mile.’” Read more about the project here.

Virginia: The Scott County Telephone Cooperative has been awarded a $17.4 million grant, along with a $7.45 million loan, to expand broadband access to 12,000 residents, 80 businesses and 16 community institutions. In addition, a $14.16 million grant has been awarded to the Lenowisco Planning District Commission to build a fiber network reaching more than 42,000 residents, 1,550 businesses and 100 community institutions.

Read more about the two new projects here.

Broadband Expansion Projects in the News

September 2, 2010

Broadband for America - Broadband access and adoption projects continue to be announced across all fifty states as part of the national broadband stimulus designed to expand high-speed Internet into every American home and business. Here is a look at some of the recent projects getting underway:

Illinois: Gov. Pat Quinn announced the state has received $250 million in broadband stimulus funds, along with $50 million in state matching funds. Four statewide broadband expansion projects have already been announced, which will create 600 jobs and connect 1,000 community institutions, including schools and hospitals. Read more here.

Missouri: The Big River Telephone company is finalizing a $24 million dollar project to expand broadband access across the state, while already moving forward on a similar project expanding wireless broadband across seven counties. The project will create 1,300 jobs in the state, with Big River Telephone expanding its own staff by 75.

Perry County Economic Development Director Larry Tucker praised the announcement, saying it would make broadband prices more competitive and open up new business opportunities in the state. "As with any business service or product, when options are available to the customer, prices typically become more competitive and attractive," he said. The project is expected to reach 90 percent of residents in the seven counties upon completion.

Read more about the project here.

North Carolina: BalsamWest FiberNet has been awarded $75 million to build up broadband infrastructure across the state. “This is critical middle mile that has a capacity far beyond just your typical home Internet services,” Balsam West CEO David Hubbs said. Read more about the project here.

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