Is broadband available in my area?
The National Broadband Map
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission maintain the National Broadband Map, a tool to search, analyze, and map broadband availability across the United States.
Factors to Consider
You can use this map to find out whether broadband is available in your community, but remember broadband requirements for health care providers serve are different than residential broadband requirements. Large hospitals, for example, often require dedicated internet access (DIA), while individual patient households may only require standard mass market options, such as consumer or business class internet service. DIA solutions offer higher bandwidth than mass market solutions and, given the bandwidth requirements of health care providers, most larger practices must purchase DIA solutions.1
For More Information
For more information on broadband and the bandwidths for different types of health care providers, including rural providers, see the following resources.
- What is broadband and why is broadband access important?
- What is the recommended bandwidth for different types of health care providers?
- Is broadband available in my area?
References
- Federal Communications Commission. "Health Care Broadband in America." 2010 [PDF - 116 KB].