AAMI Joins WMTS Coalition in Comments on Incentive Auction
In an effort to ensure patient safety, a coalition that counts AAMI, ECRI Institute, and the American Society of Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) among its members is advising the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to keep unlicensed devices off TV Channel 37, the band currently allocated for wireless medical telemetry service (WMTS) and radio astronomy use.
The WMTS Coalition, as the group is known, filed its comments Jan. 25, in response to a notice of proposed rulemaking on the incentive auction for spectrum reallocation issued last year. Through the incentive auction process, television broadcasters can sell spectrum to the FCC to eventually be bid on by wireless carriers. Some broadcasters have indicated they are willing to participate in the process.
Under consideration is a proposal for a 600 MHz Band Plan that would establish separate uplink and downlink bands, with the former including Channels 51 and lower, and the latter including Channels 36 and lower.
The FCC also has sought feedback on whether to relocate the WMTS, used to remotely monitor patient health, and radio astronomy, as well as how to address the post-auction availability of UHF band spectrum for fixed broadcast auxiliary stations, low power auxiliary stations, and unlicensed wireless microphones.
What is especially concerning to the coalition is the idea that unlicensed devices could share the band with WMTS. Such a change, the coalition says, would represent “a real threat to patient safety.”
Hospitals already have shown reluctance in upgrading their telemetry systems because of the hint that systems operating on Channel 37 might be forced to relocate. In addition, manufacturers haven’t invested as much as they would have otherwise in devices for Channel 37 because the band might not always be available. Indeed, the cost of a potential relocation is staggering, projected at in excess of $2 billion, the coalition notes.
“It is impossible to evaluate the long-term impact on patient safety that this uncertainty alone has already had,” according to the comments.
The coalition also is concerned about possible interference from adjacent channels, something that could destroy the reliability of Channel 37. “Hospitals may need to decrease their use of Channel 37 WMTS systems or increase the number of different systems employed in the same hospital campus just to maintain the same level of capacity,” the coalition states. “At worst, the level of interference and risk to patient safety could obsolete the system entirely.”
The coalition offers a few alternatives for the FCC’s consideration:
- Apply a different emission mask in Channels 36 and 38.
- Begin the reallocation of Downlink frequencies at the lower end of the available band.
- Restrict all mobile uplink transmissions to bands well removed from Channel 37.
- Establishing an unlicensed use guard band of 3-6 MHz on either side of the channel.
Although the FCC will no longer accept new comments after Jan. 25, stakeholders may reply to previous submissions until March 12.
Joining the three groups in the coalition are the American College of Clinical Engineering, Cardiac Science, GE Healthcare, Nihon Kohden America, Inc., Mindray North America, Philips Healthcare, Scottcare Cardiovascular Solutions, Spacelabs Healthcare, LLC, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
To read the comments submitted by the WMTS Coalition, click here.
Posted: January 28, 2013