The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate is working with administrators to find a new telecommunications service provider to replace Campuslink, whose contract with Tufts expires in the spring of 2003. Mounting student complaints about high prices and unreliable service have complicated the search.
Paetec, the Michigan-based company that owns Campuslink, operates the University's cable, phone, and Ethernet services. Although Paetec diversified its offerings last year with three different long-distance plans, students are not satisfied.
"Students are looking for a phone service that's more affordable and a cable service that has a better line-up," said TCU Senate President Eric Greenberg.
Dean of Students Bruce Reitman and the TCU Senate's Administration and Budget committee are looking to find students a cheaper and more accommodating service.
"We've established a timeline and over the next six months we will be meeting with vendors to discover the extent of our options," said Lesley Tolman, director of networks and telecommunications at Tufts Computing and Communications Services (TCCS).
But finding a new service provider is not a simple process. Many corporations that provide such a wide variety of services will not sign long-term contracts. "Few [companies] are going to risk a ten-year contract," said Marj Minnigh, manager of networks and special projects at TCCS. "Tufts has the best connections available, but what is 'best' will certainly change in the next couple of years."
The administration has considered making Tufts its own service provider, but may not be willing to add the necessary support structures such as customer care and billing and service staff..
Student input will be considered throughout the process, Tolman said. "We want to start surveying students in the spring to find out exactly what they want and what prices they are willing to pay," she said.
Tufts may also choose a local cable company and a different telephone service provider, allowing students to pick and choose their services, according to Senator Andrew Potts, chairman of the Senate's Administration and Budget committee.
"Giving students the ability to choose allows them to find their own solutions rather than relying on a bulk package that may not suit their needs," he said.
Though students have complained about expensive service, phone companies have suffered because of a decrease in long-distance use. When Campuslink signed its contract with the University in 1991, it agreed to wire the dorms for free. Campuslink hoped to make up the cost of wiring the dorms through an exclusive long distance contract with students. At the time, long distance calls cost about 40 cents per minute.
But during the past ten years, deregulation in the telecommunications industry has led to a significant drop in cost, giving customers more choice and hurting companies like Paetec. In January 2000, Paetec entered the Nasdaq, but was forced to withdraw its shares a year later because of market conditions.
Because the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) eliminated tariffs in the long-distance industry at the end of July, improved rates must be made available to consumers, who have the freedom to shop around for the best deals.
"The FCC has applied minimal regulation to long distance rates in recent years and has allowed the marketplace to regulate these rates," said K. Dane Snowden, chief of the FCC's Consumer Information Bureau in a statement. "Long distance prices have never been lower, choices have never been greater. This marketplace is serving consumers very well."
Students are underutilizing long-distance companies because of increased cell phone and calling card use. "Why use a Tufts service when I can easily find a better deal?" sophomore Michael Krafft asked. Promotional cell phone deals such as free nights and weekends also draw people away from long-distance companies.
Along with phone service, students have complained about limited channel selection on cable television and poor TV reception. "I pay $264 per year and I'm watching Sex in the City on videotape? Not worth it," sophomore Hannah Suh said.
Greenberg said that students were also concerned with the disparity in the cost depending on room occupancy. "A lot of students are frustrated that the same connection costs incrementally more if they are sharing their connection with more roommates," Greenberg said. "Shouldn't the hook-up price always be the same?"
