Urban telecommunications: A new planning context1

A number of emerging communications technologies are posing opportunities for urban and community development. Due to the complexity of these technologies, particularly of their market and regulatory implementation, a planning context is outlined for the resolution of some of the issues their advent is generating.Focusing on cable television, the paper points out how this technology could affect public services, land use and political life. It then suggests several motivating factors for the initiation of public planning activity in telecommunications. The paper ends by discussing overall criteria for the design of large-scale telecommunications systems as well as how planning responsibilities in this area might be allocated.     

Communicable medicine: Cable television and health services

Cable television is here to stay. Moreover, it will develop into a widespread and sophisticated medium of communication, greatly surpassing its modest, rural beginnings. If this is so, how will the future delivery of health care be affected by this new technology? And more importantly, can the technology be harnessed to improve health services, perhaps even transform their very nature? These are the questions underlying this paper.Their discussion is separated into three potential application areas. Continuing professional education, public health information, and actual health services delivery. Specifically, the paper suggests that the most imminent applications will occur in the first area and the most consequential in the third. However, in none of the areas is the impact of cable technology likely to be insignificant. The paper also delineates many of the problems and uncertainties of implementing cable-based systems of telemedicine.