ITS proposal suggests charging students for Internet

Students will be required to pay for using the campus network if a new funding structure from Information Technology Services is implemented.

The proposal, which will be presented by Vice Chancellor for Information Technology Larry Conrad to the Faculty Council on Friday, aims to shift the focus of the funding model from the current telephone system to the campus network.

“As telephone use has dropped in the last decade, so have funds from user costs while the importance of the campus network has mushroomed,” Conrad said.

The current monthly $48 communications fee, paid by faculty and departments, was established about four years ago as an interim measure, said Rick Harden, director of telecommunications for ITS.

It pays for a bundled service that includes the campus network, domestic and long-distance calls, and voicemail.

“The new rate model will break it apart so that phone charges are only for phone-related services and network funding is done separately,” Harden said.

The proposed structure, which would replace the communications fee, aims to generate the revenue lost in the current model due to the termination of many landline contracts and growing cellphone use.

Conrad said landlines would become optional with the proposed structure, which would charge only those who use them.

All network users would be charged for their connection, including students.

If the plan is fully implemented, it is expected to bring in $5 million per year to upgrade network components, Conrad said.

He added that the new funding structure would take effect in July 2012, ideally.

Conrad said the current system does not collect enough money to cover necessary equipment upgrades and is problematically based on landlines.

He added that the network switches — some campus buildings have several — have a life span of seven years.

ITS has not replaced any switches in the last three years, and Conrad said at least half of the network switches on campus are too old.

“We are going to run them into the ground, which makes us nervous,” Conrad said. “The campus network could become unreliable.”

ITS will begin sending billing memoranda to departments in November, giving faculty members several months to compare costs under the old and new models, Conrad said.

“The costs might vary slightly from department to department, giving the dean an opportunity to reallocate funds,” Conrad said.

Conrad said he expects questions from the Faculty Council.

“The natural question is, ‘What does that mean to me?’ or ‘How will my costs change?’” he said.

Paul Jones, a clinical associate professor in the School of Information and Library Sciences, said landlines don’t fit the way we live. “It’s a miracle that people are finally pulling the plugs on them.”

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