Dive Brief:
- On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission ruled 3-2 in favor of net neutrality.
- Under the new regulations, internet service providers will no longer be able to block or slow down traffic or offer preferential treatment to customers who pay premium fees.
- Not everyone agrees that net neutrality is the right thing for the healthcare industry.
Dive Insight:
"Net neutrality is not something I favor totally," Les Lenert, chief research information officer for the Medical University of South Carolina, told FierceHealthIT. "The Internet is a public utility—one with increasing medical applications. Bandwidth for the public good should have priority over bandwidth for amusement."
Anthony Pizarro, MD, a physician in Shreveport, Louisiana, has a different take. "Both physicians who are part of powerful, large groups or health systems and I rely equally on Internet access to provide patient care," he says in 1 to 1 Media. "I should have equal ability to care for my patients as they do."
Want to read more? You may enjoy this story on why hospitals should care about net neutrality.