COLUMN: Modem mayhem: access available?

From David Brown's, "How It Works," Fall '97 From David Brown's, "How It Works," Fall '97 Beep. Beep." -- a busy signal. While on line, "Sorry, please try again later." Then abruptly while surfing, "Would you like to reconnect?" These increasing occurrences should not be acquiesced by the Penn community, as the University continues to frustrate its students by providing inadequate Internet access capabilities. Approximately 85 percent of Penn's students own computers. Students attempting to connect to PennNet have only 448 high-speed modem lines with a one-hour maximum, and 300 lower-speed lines providing unlimited use. For students living off campus who can afford a computer and modem, it is unacceptable that access is difficult and limited in duration. Full availability is becoming a necessity as classes integrate the Internet with course work. This extended use of the Internet is worthwhile for Penn students as extensive experience is an aptitude required in today's workforce, and a convenience for home usage and communication. Ignorantly assuming all 6,906 on-campus students use Ethernet, there are about 43,000 other members of the Penn community -- including 11,951 off-campus students, University professionals, professors, researchers, and medical personnel who remotely vie for Internet time. Conservatively estimating that only 75 percent of these people have computers and use modems, this equates to approximately one modem per forty users. However, this grossly underestimates the true number of PennNet users. The majority of students living on campus in the Quad rangle and Greek chapter houses do not have Ethernet connections, and even those with Ethernet capabilities do not always use it. Approximately 10 percent of those with computers in the high rises use modems to access Penn's computer network services, according to the fall 1996 Computer Technology Use study conducted by Housing and Residential Life. This is only a small contributing factor to the problem. Several people use the modem pool illegally. Currently, Information Systems and Computing cannot prevent multiple people from signing on to PennNet with a single Network ID, and therefore user information can provide friends with free Internet time. Students without a modem or an Ethernet card must work from on campus sites. But there are only 479 lab computers on-campus, for a student population of over 19,000. Ideally, every student would be entitled to about a half-hour of daily computer use. This is taking for granted that only those paying tuition can use the computers, and everyone respects this time limit. The reality is unrestricted daytime entrance to almost all computer labs provides anyone with facilities to do research, write papers, and surf the Net. The occasional spot checks in Rosengarten Lab at the beginning of every semester do not improve the situation, although they are a necessary step. Lab attendants need to be present to help offset the egregious number of computer thefts from on-campus administrative and educational facilities. Between July 11, 1996 and January 20, 1997, 38 computers were reportedly stolen from these locations, according to the University's Police Department Community Crime Report. If less stolen computers needed to be replaced, more money could be used in increasing resources for additional modem lines. The solutions for improving Internet access are not easy. However, small steps are being made. The Quad will technologically enter the 1990's with Ethernet installed in all dorm rooms by September. Several fraternities are working to wire their houses. Last October, six Internet workstations were put in McClelland Hall as a convenience for Quad residents. These actions will help to alleviate the problem in the short-term, but the required funding to maintain the current modem pool is immense. According to Executive Director of Network Planning and Operation Michael Palladino, each modem carries $32 per month in phone line expenses. The installation of a modem has a one-time cost of about $1,000 for the modem, wiring, activation of the phone line, and network connections. Little improvement can be further made on campus. Presumptuously, the administration could assume once they build additional dorms in whatever century, the new buildings will be wired and students will gratefully move-in. However, this is not the reality, as only about 26 percent of non-freshmen students choose to live on-campus. Therefore, the University needs to approach and propose a deal with local realtors. Wiring local residences is a solution, although expensive and controversial as to who would foot the bill. However, just adding more modems whenever the busy signals become unbearable will just continuously prolong the problem. A smart, entrepreneurial realtor could absorb the cost of wiring his residences and approach the University with the other end of the cable asking for access. He will find he can easily raise his rents to offset the cost, as nearly 100 percent occupancy is guaranteed. The busy signals occurring at the beginning of this past academic year were corrected with session limits and some additional modems, however real action needs to be taken. Long-term plans need to be studied and implemented, since the modem pool under the current restrictions will soon reach and exceed capacity.