Electromagnetic interference hearing
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
House Government Operations/Information Justice, Transportation and Agriculture Subcommittee, chaired by Gary Condit (D-Calif.), will hold a hearing Oct. 5 on the issue of whether cellular and other wireless devices interfere with the operation of medical equipment. In a release announcing the hearing, Condit maintains that "this is an emerging issue that needs to be addressed -- and solved -- by the private sector, and quickly." The Federal Communications Commission is expected to testify at the hearing, but FDA will not participate. FDA was not invited because the prospect of the agency's participation reportedly did not sit well with Edolphus Towns' (D-N.Y.) House Government Operations/Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee, which has FDA oversight responsibilities. Among industry participants at the hearing will be Gerald Becker, Medtronic's electromagnetic interference specialis