FCC urged to protect wireless medical device channel

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should protect the 608–614 MHz spectrum band for the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS), the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) and 11 other organizations told the FCC in January. The coalition applauded the FCC's proposal to keep the current Channel 37 allocation, noting that moving WMTS devices to another band would cost hospitals more than $2 billion. However, the group expressed concern that other unlicensed devices might share the channel. "The potential threat to patient safety created by the widespread use of unlicensed devices operating co-channel to WMTS devices is too great," the group wrote. More than 117,000 health care devices are registered to operate in Channel 37. ASHE, which serves as WMTS coordinator, urges all health care facilities that have not done so to register their equipment at ASHE's website.

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