The potential of the NII is also seen in early experiments in telemedicine. For example, the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta has been operating telemedicine links that allow doctors in rural hospitals to consult with College specialists over live video links. The same links transmit ultrasound and X-ray images, and the sounds from electronic stethoscopes. All this is possible. The question is whether and when it will happen, and, perhaps most importantly, who will participate.
Public institutions are important on-ramps to the information superhighway.
But public institutions often confront budget realities that threaten to keep them on the shoulder. For example, only two of Massachusetts' 374 public libraries, in Cambridge and Walpole, offer the public direct access to the Internet. It goes directly to our universal service goals and our desire to avoid creating a society of information haves and have nots. We believe that all Americans, not only those who own computers or who live in affluent areas, must have access to the advanced information technologies and services. Public institutions can serve as their access points.