The use of video-conferencing for medical purposes began in the 1950s, when the technology first became feasible. However, at that time, telemedicine was used infrequently and only when in person care was not available. On of the challenges was that the technology was expensive and impossible to deploy on a broad scale. This continued to be the state of affairs until the development of the internet and cheap webcams, which made video-teleconferencing accessible to ordinary citizens in the home.