Report Warns Of Rising Phone, Internet Costs

A group called Keep USF Fair Coalition released a report that warns of possibly rising costs for colleges and universities to provide telephone and Internet services on their campuses. The Universal Service Fund (USF) is a tax on phone lines, currently based on the number of long-distance calls made. Under a proposal by the Federal Communications Commission, USF fees would become $1 or $1.50 for every phone line or Internet access point. A recent study by the American Council on Education estimated that such a change would cause most institutions’ USF fees to rise by nearly 900 percent. Wake Forest University, for example, said its phone bill would increase from about $400 a month to about $7,000. The coalition’s report argues that if the change is made, colleges and universities will likely either cut back services or pass the costs along to students. Martin Ringle, chief technology officer at Reed College, agreed, saying that in the event that the fee is changed, Reed might consider ending phone services to dorms, given the growing numbers of students who have cell phones.

However, “students without cell phones,” he pointed out, “would quickly become a disadvantaged class.”

Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 May 2006 (sub. req’d)