New
Broadband Technology and How it Will Revolutionize Paperless Offices
By
Charles A. Lewis
In
a recent article titled ‘Internet-Based
Practice Management Software’ I wrote about the rapidly growing trend
wherein health care providers are replacing paper patient files with electronic
records. Easy, instant, access to the electronic records in these increasingly
paperless operations is furnished using special patient management software
that is described in the article. The technique for accessing the software
and records is via the World Wide Web, or Internet, using a broadband connection.
This kind of operation is delivered by a company frequently called an Application
Service Provider (‘ASP’).
A health care ASP
hosts and delivers a comprehensive dental or medical application,
along with all the patient records, to multiple users and locations from a
centrally managed facility called a data center. The applications can be delivered
over networks of any size; often on a subscription basis. This delivery model
speeds implementation, minimizes expenses and eliminates the need for on-site
technical personnel.
Current
Broadband Service
The
ASP operations described above require high-speed Internet access; dialup
connections do not provide sufficient speed for the data and image-intensive
functions required with paperless operation. Although T1, T3, ATM and Frame
Relay are various forms of broadband that provide up to 45 megabit per second
(‘Mbps’) speeds, typical broadband usage involves the more common (and less
expensive) cable or DSL services. For many reasons, the use of satellite-based
broadband is very limited. The brief descriptions of cable and DSL service
below are based on business usage.
Cable: The
advantage of cable broadband is that it does not have the distance restrictions
of DSL. With cable, video bandwidth is shared with Internet data and download
speeds of 3 Mbps to 10 Mbps are possible, but you should not plan on getting
anything close to those speeds. Cable modems are typically faster for downloads
than most DSL lines.
The problem is
that cable data bandwidth, like cable video bandwidth, is shared. This isn't
a problem with television, where the same signal is intended for everyone.
But for data services, every user is downloading different data and if everyone
is online at the same time this can quickly clog the pipe. As TV usage increases
in the afternoon, data speeds slow drastically and reports of slowed connections
are common.
DSL: DSL’s
dedicated circuits work over the telephone network and ISPs make it available
at speeds up to 7.1 Mbps (ADSL). Actual speeds depend on the distance of your
location from the telephone service provider's Central Office (‘CO’); the
telephone company’s DSL range limit is 18,000 wire-feet (about 3.4 miles)
from the CO. The farther away you are from the CO, the slower the speed will
be. With comparable speeds, DSL service is usually more expensive than cable.
DSL does provide
increased security over cable and some ISPs offer business-class DSL with
guaranteed bandwidth. That is not possible with cable. Under certain conditions
DSL service can be faster than cable, especially on uploads and during peak
hours. However, be advised that many ISPs often share a T1 line amongst hundreds
of simultaneous dialup sessions, resulting in very slow speeds.
The biggest issue
of all is whether broadband service is even obtainable. The fact is that many
health care facilities are located in areas where cable and DSL service is
currently unavailable; remote rural areas being a prime example. With the
present state of technologies, that non-availability has prevented many doctors
from enjoying the cost-effective, numerous benefits of ASP service.
Breakthrough
in High-Speed Internet Access
As far back as
1997, scientists from around the world were discussing how to solve the inherent
problems in sending video and data signals over the electrical grid. Because
of the exciting concept and the benefits it might offer, I began reading everything
available on the subject in 1999 and have followed the evolution of development
ever since.
A variety of articles
over the past few years have indicated that the problems of using the electrical
grid to deliver high-speed Internet access are extremely difficult to solve.
Many companies, worldwide, have developed different systems; some achieved
success in limited testing while others failed completely by not achieving
the speeds needed to be competitive with other technologies.
In simple terms,
the largest problem was that the electrical grid was designed to transmit
electricity only. Power lines of aluminum and copper are natural antennas
and can interfere with other electromagnetic signals such as radio and TV.
In order to comply with Federal Communications Commission (‘FCC’) regulations
in regard to what gets broadcast where and how, utility companies had to find
a way to shield the proposed system from interfering with other licensed signals.
The new technology is called ‘Broadband over Power Lines’ or BPL service.
In February 2004, the Federal Communications Commission released proposed
rules to facilitate the deployment of BPL over the electric power grid and
President Bush has set a goal of providing universal and affordable broadband
service by 2007.
On March 2, 2004,
the first large-scale rollout of BPL technology and services in the United
States was announced! This major achievement came from Current Communications
Group and Cinergy Broadband, LLC, a subsidiary of Cinergy Corp. Their first
venture will provide a bundle of broadband and voice services to Cinergy’s
1.5 million customers in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The second venture will
deploy BPL to smaller municipal and cooperatively owned power companies covering
24 million customers across the United States. Consumers and small businesses
are being offered affordable and user-friendly high-speed Internet and voice
over IP (VoIP) telephone services by using electric power lines as a more
cost-effective alternative to cable and DSL.
BPL allows consumers to receive broadband services through their electrical outlets. Users simply plug a low-cost and widely available power line modem into an electric socket anywhere in a house or office without the need for professional installation or additional wiring.
For Internet users,
BPL service offers: