UNC's Push: Expand Cheaper Net Access

But at least one goal can be found in all three -- a pledge to provide reduced-cost Internet access to off-campus students.

Marian Moore and Tommy Mann -- the two people who will lead next year's effort for off-campus Internet access -- met Tuesday to discuss how this goal could become a reality in the next few years.

Mann, who serves as chairman of student government's technology committee, said UNC has contacted AOL Time Warner and BellSouth, the two major providers of high-speed service in the area. But he said neither company has the capability to provide service to all students and faculty living off campus.

Moore, vice chancellor for information technology, said making progress on the issue has been difficult because Internet service providers have shown little interest in signing a deal with UNC to offer service at reduced rates.

"If we were in a major metropolitan area, we would be in a position to negotiate, but the population density in Chapel Hill is not high enough to generate interest from the providers," Moore said.

But Russ Jones, last year's technology committee chairman, said the University's inability to sign a contract is a direct result of the poor economy.

He said he expects a provider to step forward once the industry is in a better financial state. "I'm optimistic that we'll see off-campus Internet access in the next couple years," Jones said.

The issue of reduced-cost, off-campus Internet access first appeared on the platform of Nic Heinke, the student body president for 1999-2000. Heinke said he wanted to address the issue during his term because Internet technology was beginning to be utilized in classrooms.

But Heinke said the issue became much more complicated than he originally anticipated because state law prevents a public university like UNC from extending its network off campus.

The idea to sign with a service provider was then addressed during the administrations of successive student body presidents Brad Matthews and Justin Young.

Jones said that during the past couple of years, student government has begun talking with providers like EarthLink and MindSpring, which offer both high-speed and dial-up Internet access, depending on where a residence is located.

Mann said student government's next step is to conduct a survey of UNC students, faculty and alumni to determine which type of Internet service they are able to use and how much they are willing to pay for that service.

Moore said she does not support providing dial-up service because this form of Internet access is quickly becoming outdated with new technology. But she said a survey would be effective in identifying which provider to target in negotiations.

Moore said the best chance for providing off-campus Internet access is using new wireless technologies that can reach residents not serviced by network lines.

But student leaders said that until Internet technologies improve, UNC should continue negotiations with providers and conduct research into how other schools handle the issue.

"As ... laptops are more heavily used in classrooms, it's going to become increasingly more important that laptops can also be used at home," Mann said. "Off-campus access is something students want and something students need."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.