Feds Give $504 Million in Stimulus Money (Taxpayer Funds) to 40 Companies in 22 States to Launch National Broadband

WiMAX Launches Broadband Deployment in 22 States

October 21, 2010

Broadband for America - The Department of Agriculture has awarded $504 million in grants and loans to 40 companies in 22 states that are deploying WiMAX networks.

"The allocations of these funds are a significant win for the awardees, and for the greater broadband wireless industry. But more than that, the real big winners here are the consumers in rural communities who will benefit from affordable broadband services via WiMAX," said Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum.

WiMAX estimates that for every dollar invested in a new network, the operator can cover 10 to 20 times the homes compared to a traditional wired line.

"The RUS stimulus funds will enable small companies to bring broadband to homes that have been out of reach of wireline technologies," said Jeff Tamietti, CEO of EcliptixNet Broadband, Inc., a recipient of a $20.4M RUS loan/grant combination. "Over the next three years, we plan to build a 3.65GHz mobile WiMAX network spanning over 1,500 sq. mi., covering 46,000 rural homes and businesses in Washington State that will help bring new economic opportunities to the area."

Read more about the grants here.

New Study Says 2 Billion People Will be Online By Year's End

October 20, 2010

Broadband for America - Nearly 2 billion people will be online by the end of the year, an increase in 600 million users over the past year alone, according to The International Telecommunications Union (ITU):

“According to a just-released statistical analysis, home Internet worldwide users have increased from 1.4 billion to almost 1.6 billion in the last year. There still remains a huge regional gap, with Europe at 65% penetration and Africa at 9.6%, obviously a factor of geography as well as other issues. The Americas, which are listed together, are at 55%.”

“The FCC's drive for mobile broadband as a way to boost that deployment becomes clearer with the ITU prediction that by the end of the year, there will be an estimated 5.3 billion cell phone subscriptions worldwide.”

The report, The World in 2010, Facts and Figures, states:

• By the end of 2010, there will be an estimated 5.3 billion mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide, including 940 million subscriptions to 3G services.


• Access to mobile networks is now available to 90% of the world population and 80% of the population living in rural areas.


• People are moving rapidly from 2G to 3G platforms, in both developed and developing countries. In 2010, 143 countries were off ering 3G services commercially, compared to 95 in 2007.


• Towards 4G: a number of countries have started to off er services at even higher broadband speeds, moving to next generation wireless platforms – they include Sweden, Norway, Ukraine and the United States.

The full report can be assessed here.

Quest Diagnostics and HP Work to Simplify Electronic Health Records But Need Internet Access to Do So

October 21, 2010

Hewlett Packard - Quest Diagnostics’ health information technology subsidiary MedPlus and HP today announced they are partnering to facilitate and simplify electronic health record (EHR) adoption for physician practices nationwide.

Quest Diagnostics’ web-based Care360 EHR software and services coupled with HP hardware, services and financing, bring a unique offering to physicians. A key part of this relationship is offering preconfigured bundles designed to enable physicians to leverage their technology investment for faster access to patient information and improved office efficiency. Physicians can receive a personalized onsite assessment of both their technical environment and practice workflow to better understand their unique practice needs.

To help educate physicians on EHRs and meaningful use, Quest Diagnostics and HP will launch a nationwide tour in Baltimore, Md., on October 28th. Additional cities and dates will be announced shortly.

HealthDynamix, the healthcare division of PC Mall and an HP PartnerONE Healthcare Elite Partner, will deliver the solution, providing hardware implementation and support services across the United States.

Approximately one third of U.S. physicians—and many of the country’s leading hospitals, health plans, and regional health exchanges—currently rely on health care information solutions developed by Quest Diagnostics to document, analyze and monitor diagnostic, prescription and clinical data to provide better patient care. Because Care360 EHR is completely web-based, the only requirement is Internet access, which reduces the time and costs of implementing the solution. Coupled with HP’s network connectivity, physicians can access more secure patient information, from a fixed or mobile Internet browser.

“Combining our Care360 EHR solution with HP’s hardware and services creates a comprehensive platform for small to medium-sized physician practices to easily and cost-effectively transition to an EHR system,” said Richard A. Mahoney, Quest Diagnostics’ vice president of Healthcare Information Solutions and president of its MedPlus healthcare information technology subsidiary. “The joint solution is designed to deliver the tools physicians need to improve overall clinical outcomes and realize the many financial incentives of EHR adoption”...