RURAL AND TRIBAL AREAS

Rural and Tribal areas are severely disadvantaged by the lack of proximate health and medical resources.  Consequently, the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support and promote long-distance clinical health monitoring and care, patient and professional health related education, public health and health administration in tribal and rural areas is critical and its implementation indispensable. Unfortunately, Tribal and Rural populations generally cannot access the benefits of Remote Patient Monitoring, Telemedicine and Telehealth technologies because they lack adequate connectivity to spectrum, cellular, broadband or satellite networks. It is estimated that 1.5 Million people living on Tribal lands have been left without basic access to healthcare, public safety and educational services because they experience significantly lower rates and quality of both fixed and mobile broadband deployment as compared to non-Tribal areas of the United States.