Free dial-up Internet service currently provided to students and faculty residing off Grounds will be cut off June 1.
This change will mark the final step of a process that began more than a year ago to phase out the service. The move is part of an effort to streamline ITC programs that also include charging for printing and closing some ITC labs.
"The primary motivator now is the budget," said Jim Jokl, director of communications and systems for ITC. "And the number of people that have been using [the free dial-up service] has been decreasing. It was a fairly easy thing to cut."
Most Virginia colleges and universities do not offer free Internet service to their students living off campus.
Last year, ITC discontinued its low-speed dial-up lines and reduced the number of high-speed lines available off Grounds during the 2002-2003 school year.
Close to 4000 students currently have dial-up Internet accounts, but most of the accounts are used infrequently, Jokl said.
The scope of the impact will be small, said second-year College student Thomas Boudreau, a member of the student information technology advisory committee.
"It was very narrowly utilized," he said. "A lot of people were getting high-speed anyway, so the dial-up was kind of dying out."
Although the number of students impacted was small, there was an outcry when the decision was announced, particularly from graduate students. The problem, however, largely has been remedied, Committee Chair Chris Husser said.
"I think ITC was really great about talking to students last year and getting feedback from them on this matter," he said. "There was even a formal meeting with representatives from the Graduate Student Council."
Jokl said students affected by the removal of free Internet will need to go to a commercial internet service provider. Ntelos, the only provider the University guarantees will work with the home directory, costs $16.95 a month. Students who want to access restricted University sites also will need a proxy server that can be obtained free of charge from the ITC Web site.
Jokl added students needing financial aid should not be concerned.
"They'll include the money you need for dial-up in the financial aid package," he said. The Office of Student Financial Services earmarked $155 of its 2003-2004 budget for that purpose.
Husser said he was satisfied with the change.
"Overall, this situation is a win-win one for ITC and students alike ... because ITC can cut an expensive service in these times of budget crisis while students, if truly in need of free Internet access, can use other free alternate services like Juno or Netzero," he said.
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