Penn prepares for end of modem pool

The University arranged deals for service with two commercial ISPs. Officials yesterday released plans for moving Penn's off-campus Internet users from the soon-to-be discontinued modem pool to commercial service providers. The modem pool has provided free on-line access since 1986. But with new, faster technology available in the private sector, officials decided to discontinue the pool by mid-2002. So starting in July, users will be charged to dial into the service and will be encouraged to switch to a commercial Internet service provider. "Our modem pool is obsolete," Vice Provost for Information Services and Computing Jim O'Donnell said yesterday. "It's too slow, and it's too small and it's getting slower and smaller by the day." On July 1, the approximately 15,000 dial-up users -- predominately students, faculty and staff who live off campus -- can choose between continuing to use the modem pool for $13 a month, or use a commercial provider. ISC officials have negotiated preferred relationships with DCANet and Bell Atlantic, two commercial ISPs, to provide services to students for $12.95 per month. The private ISPs will provide students with a 56 kbps connection, which is significantly faster than the 33.6 kbps dial-up offered by the Penn modem pool. Additionally, the private ISPs will give students unlimited use of dial-up services, while the University dial-up pool terminates the connection after one hour of use. "Our recommendation is that if you want quality of service, you go with one of the $12.95 service providers," O'Donnell said. He estimated that the technological advantages of the commercial ISPs will prompt students to change from the Penn service to the private sector within the next two years at the rate of approximately 3,000 users per six months. "It's a pain to make the changeover, but at some point people are going to sit down and look at it and realize they can get better, faster service for the same amount of money," O'Donnell added. To make sure DCANet and Bell Atlantic are providing users with quality services, ISC will run a pilot program with 180 users in April. With this service, the University will pay a user's ISP fees for the first three months provided that the user provides detailed and specific evaluations of the commercial service. "We want to make sure the commercial providers are doing a good job," O'Donnell said. "That's a way to make sure real Penn people are getting the quality of service necessary for Penn purposes." O'Donnell said running the modem pool costs the University around $1 million each year. And to update the 33.6 kbps service to 56 kbps -- the current speed of commercial ISPs -- would cost the University an additional million dollars. While users will be charged for the basic dial-up use of the modem pool, a smaller "express pool," where users can dial in for 15 minutes, will remain free. That way, O'Donnell said, students will be able to quickly check their e-mail without being charged. "We're not doing this for the money," he explained. "We're doing this so users can get the technology they need at Penn."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.