Radiologist Jim Busch has become the first person in the world to have a 10 gigabit-per-second (10 Gig) residential Internet connection installed in his home, EPB announced today.
Dr. Busch, who is president of Diagnostic Radiology Consultants (DRC), agreed to the $299-a-month service just days after EPB announced the availability of the first 10 Gig Internet service to be made available across a large community-wide territory.
Busch has a frequent need to download and upload massive diagnostic image files whether he is at home or the office.
"I've had a great experience every time EPB upped their Internet speeds," Busch said. "You don't know how big a difference it's going to make until you have it in place."
Radiologist Jim Busch stands in his McCallie Avenue office Friday, October 23, 2015. Unlike point-to-point commercial installations, which have been possible for some time, EPB's 10 Gig service is now available for access by every home and business in a 600 square mile area through Alcatel-Lucent's TWDM-PON broadband technology. The residential 10 Gig service costs $299 a month with free installation, no contracts, and no cancelation fees.
Dr. Busch, who was among the first radiologists to adopt the medical model of having a group of doctors reading diagnostic images in a central location rather than physically making rounds to hospitals and doctors offices, has also developed software that makes it easier for radiologists to read and annotate images from wherever they are.
"In my field, fiber optic speeds save lives," Dr. Busch said. "Instead of waiting as much as a week or more to get results because radiologists would have to physically go to each location, our patients can get their results in hours or even minutes. When something is seriously wrong catching it as early as possible can be the difference between life and death."
Harold DePriest, EPB's president and CEO, said Busch is the kind of customer who pushes the utility to improve its telecom links.
"EPB launched Chattanooga's community-wide fiber optic network to serve as a platform for innovation," DePriest said. "We can't wait to see how Dr. Busch and other enterprising individuals are going to use our new 10 Gig service to push the boundaries in ventures ranging from healthcare and 3D printing to film production and software development."
Dr. Busch also noted that he is in the process of installing an ultra-fast in-home WiFi network so that his whole family can make the most of the service.
"The real value of the 10 Gig service is your ability to do everything you want to do all at once," Dr. Busch said.