Telecom: Broadband Adoption

State & Local Broadband Best Practices Survey

1. ID (System Generated): 46335

2. Project Name (System Generated): IA HealthNet connect

3. State: IA

4. Title of project or program: HealthNet connect

5. Identify the type of organization that administers this project:

   1. Not-For-Profit Non-Governmental Organization

   2. Other:

6. What is the project’s geographic coverage area? Regional

7. Is the purpose of the project to construct broadband infrastructure in/to:

   1. Unserved Areas

   2. Underserved Areas

   3. Improve Health Care Delivery

8. Is the purpose of the project to promote broadband use by:

   1. Otherwise Vulnerable Populations

9. What technologies are used by the project?

   1. Fiber Optic

   2. Other Wireless Technology

   3. Other technology: carrier circuits

10. If the project involves utilizing noteworthy hardware or software products, please identify the major vendors and/or partners for the project:No particular vendors for equipment were used; project is vendor agnostic

11. Did the project involve building infrastructure that produced a new or faster broadband service? Yes

    1. What is the rated or marketed speed of the fastest new or updated broadband service offered to:

       Business consumers?10-100 mbps

       Residential consumers? mbps

    2. Are these “peak” speeds or “average” speeds?

    3. Are these speeds “symmetrical?” (users can simultaneously upload and download at this speed): Yes

12. What consumers are served by the infrastructure project:

    1. Hospitals & Medical Facilities

    2. Other: Other health care related entities

13. If the purpose of the project is to stimulate demand for broadband services, please indicate how it achieved this goal:

    1. Other method: Access to symmetrical high-speed broadband to (1) allow users to access other users and (2) enable use of a service "mall" for applications

14. If the purpose of the project is to improve affordability of broadband services, please indicate how it achieves this goal:

    1. Other method: Access to secure, dedicated, and high-speed broadband not otherwise available

15. If the purpose of the project is to promote the availability of broadband services in rural areas, please indicate how it achieves this goal:

    1. Telehealth & Telemedicine

    2. Other: Access to secure, dedicated, and cost-efficient broadband for rural health care providers

16. Please provide detailed project description including time sequence for the project's implementation: The project provides last mile connectivity to hospitals, clinics and other health care entities. This project utilizes fiber in a network already owned by IHS and extends the reach of the network by a combination of new construction and contractual arrangement with existing carriers in a 15-year, fixed-cost arrangement. The project is just completing Phase 1 of a three-phase project; subsequent phases will be funded in the same manner.

17. Identify the project funding sources:

    1. Other Federal Sources

    2. Capital Investment by Private Partner

    3. Retail Revenues

    4. Other:

18. What is the project cost?

    1. Total capital expenditures to date:

       $ millions as of [fiscal/calendar] year 20

    2. Annual program operating budget (estimated if not yet fully operational):

       $ millions as of [fiscal/calendar] year 20

19. What impediments or problems were encountered in completing the project or program? This project has experienced some delays in working through contractual issues.

20. What actions were taken to resolve or minimize project or program impediments and problems? The problems encountered were not deemed to be an insurmountable impediment, but a normal artifact of a pilot project.

21. What other lessons were learned during the process of undertaking and completing this project or program? This project is not completed. Because the government's funding was in the form of a pilot project, there was no pror experience in administering this particular grant. IHS anticipates that future grants will not share this characteristic.

22. Project or program website link: http://www.healthnetconnect.org

23. For further information contact:

    1. Name: Joy Grosser

    2. Title: VP/Chief Information Office

    3. Organization: Iowa Health System

    4. Telephone Number: 515-241-6284

    5. E-Mail Address: grossejm@ihs.org