UC Connect initiative set to begin offering service this fall

Hoping to bring high-speed Internet access to University City at competitive prices, the University is planning to roll out its latest community initiative -- UC Connect --Esometime next month. The project will connect subscribers to the University's computer network at much higher speeds than are available over a modem. Officials hope the plan will provide additional incentives to living in the West Philadelphia area. According to its World Wide Web site, the project will be up and running this fall. Cost estimates are not yet available. A steering committee is expected to complete its review of the neighborhood's technology options soon and specific details will probably be released next month, according to Noam Arzt, who is spearheading the initiative. Penn's computer network -- called PennNet -- is usually inundated with callers, causing busy signals and time restrictions. A direct line will help alleviate these problems, in addition to connecting at higher speeds. Arzt said that that a high-speed Internet connection can be very beneficial. "Users will definitely feel the difference," said Arzt. "But unlike other high-speed services available currently in the city, the connection back to PennNet will be efficient and speedy." The University has decided to use the increasingly popular digital subscriber line rather than a cable modem, since only one area vendor, Wade Cablevision, still provides cable modem access. And that company recently declined to enter into the project, Arzt said. The committee in charge of implementing the UC Connect initiative is currently entertaining proposals from telecommunications vendors to provide the physical infrastructure for the high-speed access. Although Arzt could not disclose the final monthly subscription price, an earlier report suggested that prices would run between $40 and $60 a month, but that University officials hope to reduce it to about $25 a month. DSL subscriberships currently offered to individual households by vendors such as Bell Atlantic costs about $50 a month. The University has been trying for years to increase the attractiveness of living in University City. Penn has helped improve lighting and landscaping in the area, and is also funding part of a new public school. It has also tried to encourage faculty to buy homes in the area by offering to finance part of their mortgages and to help pay for housing renovations.