[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 44 (Thursday, March 9, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S3730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RURAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I want to bring to the attention of the 
Senate a demonstration that is currently taking place in the rotunda of 
the Russell Senate Office Building. I urge all Members of the Senate 
and their staffs to stop by and see this exhibit.
  It is a demonstration of a new satellite telecommunications 
technology and the potential for advancing telecommunications to rural 
areas.
  The satellite technology demonstrated in the rotunda is just one of 
the new applications that is coming on line in the near future. 
Telemedicine is one of the applications that I hope it will help bring 
to the farthest reaches of my State.
  As I think the Senate knows, Alaska is one-fifth the size of the 
Continental United States. We have been using satellite technology to 
communicate with remote Alaskan communities since the 1970's, and in 
many of those communities, we have only one village health aide. Using 
the advanced digital technology that is now becoming available--and it 
is used in this demonstration--it will be possible for that nurse to 
send medical images to hospitals in Anchorage, or even to what we call 
the lower 48 States, for review by a doctor, something that cannot be 
done today. In these remote clinics, staffed by people who just have 
high school education, we are going to be able to take medicine, good 
telemedicine, directly to the villages.
  Eventually, I hope to see even more advanced telemedicine 
applications like the remote surgery that is being developed by the 
joint civilian and military medical teams today. At the rotunda 
demonstration, there is also a telemedicine display, and I hope other 
Senators will stop by and take time to look at this display.
  There are a lot of other possibilities to this type of technology. 
Tele-education and telecommunicating are two that come to mind.
  Recently, I heard of a person who is moving his family to an island 
in southeastern Alaska where he is going to install advanced 
telecommunications facilities to allow him to continue to run his 
business in another State. When that same technology comes down in 
price, as I am sure it will, I am very hopeful that others will gladly 
do the same thing and come enjoy our State year round.
  Finally, I want to point out that this demonstration of modern 
technology will allow anyone who comes by to be instantly updated on 
the status of the last great race on Earth. That is the Iditarod. The 
Iditarod is going on now. The race is 1,049 miles, from Anchorage to 
Nome, in the middle of winter by dogsled. Each day at 2 p.m., I receive 
a call over this new technology that is in the Russell Building from 
Susan Butcher, a four-time winner of the Iditarod. She is going point 
to point along the trail. She is not a contestant this year. She is 
reporting on the race from remote checkpoints where mushers are 
required to rest each day. The reason she is not in the race is because 
she is expecting her first child and decided not to be involved in the 
Iditarod this year.
  The demonstration will be in the Russell rotunda until next Tuesday, 
March 14. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday, and we will 
have a reception there on Monday evening. It is my hope that other 
Members of the Senate and staff will come by and see the potential of 
telecommunications to rural areas, such as we have in Alaska. It is a 
very informational, very educational demonstration, and I personally 
invite everyone to stop by.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. DOMENICI addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Thompson). The Senator from New Mexico.

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