FCC Aims to Broaden Spectrum Used by Wireless Medical Devices

An anticipated Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule change broadening the spectrum available to medical devices could significantly alter patient monitoring, industry and government representatives say. Medical body area networks (MBAN) use wireless signals to enable patient monitoring without physically attaching the patient to monitoring devices. The FCC has scheduled a May 24 public meeting to vote on expanding the portion of the radio spectrum MBANs can use, and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski told a May 17 press briefing he expects the measure will pass. If so, the U.S. will be the first country with a dedicated MBAN spectrum.
Devices & Diagnostics Letter