Association Between Broadband Internet Availability and Telemedicine Use

Access to health specialists is difficult for many individuals in rural communities. 1 Telemedicine, health care service delivered remotely through telecommunications, is one potential solution, but its use varies across regions, potentially associated with the availability of high-speed internet (broadband) access. 2 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress have emphasized the need to increase broadband access in rural communities, in part to facilitate the use of telemedicine, and the FCC's Connect America Fund has set aside billions of dollars to subsidize broadband expansion. 3 Our objective was to examine whether broadband availability in local communities is associated with telemedicine use.