A Statement from Kevin MacDonald, CEO and Co-Founder of Bluesight
It is estimated that over a third of US hospitals use RFID to track millions of medication doses annually for managing inventory levels, tracking expirations, and responding to recalls and shortages. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reviewing a petition from NextNav, a geolocation company, that would remove more than half of the radio frequency spectrum that hospital RFID systems depend on. If this petition is accepted in full, RFID readers currently used by hospitals could be affected with potential implications for any healthcare site that uses RFID.
As a technology partner to hospitals and health systems across the country, Bluesight sees it as our responsibility to monitor regulatory developments that could affect our customers’ operations — and to speak up when they do. That’s why we strongly oppose this petition.
The 902-928MHz ISM band is shared infrastructure that healthcare, manufacturing, utilities, and dozens of other industries depend on. For healthcare specifically, changes to this band raise concerns for patient safety – not simply a technology preference.
Bluesight plans on submitting opposition to FCC docket ET26-84. Advocating on issues like this — where regulatory decisions could affect hospitals and health systems — is part of our ethos as a technology partner. We will continue to track this issue and keep our customers informed as the process develops.
Kevin MacDonald,
CEO & Co-Founder, Bluesight
If you have any questions regarding this petition or our statement, please contact Ramsey Doany at ramsey.doany@bluesight.com.