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The US medical community has sounded the alarm over possible interference from unlicensed portable gadgets, such as PDA's, laptops and the like operating in a nearby wireless spectrum.
And hospitals say using empty channels for unlicensed use is a "matter of life and death, not just a source of static for entertainment outlets. It could disrupt the monitoring of patients' heart rates, blood oxygen levels and other vital signs at medical facilities".
Medical device maker GE Healthcare has also weighed in to this debate, asking the FCC to proceed carefully in its decision to permit broadband use through those idle channels, commonly known as "white spaces."
In an FCC filing last week, the company requested stricter standards to protect wireless patient-monitoring equipment such as "heart, blood pressure and respiration devices, from being overwhelmed by other equipment operating in nearby channels".
