There has been a slowdown in internet access over the last few weeks. This semester has seen diminished download rates and stuttering online videos.
The overall bandwidth usage has gone up this year with greater use of streaming video services like Skype and the increasing availability of video content on the Web.
Some students are concerned that slow Internet access could be an obstacle to academic success. “It could be a problem if you’re trying to transfer course files across the network and the transfer rates are impossibly slow,” said John Prokos, class of 2011.
The current Internet service plan at Connecticut College is limited to 70 megabytes per second. This capacity has been maxed out from 10AM to 2AM, seven days a week, since the beginning of the school year.
The Information Services department is looking into expanding the plan to 100 megabytes per second, but this measure would cost around $15,000 per year. “If we have more bandwidth, the demand will rise, and we’ll still end up maxing out,” according to Vice President for Information Services Lee Hisle.
In order to provide faster Internet access, the Information Services committee is looking to save money elsewhere. Two subjects under consideration are the faculty email management system and the extent of cable TV availability in the dorms.
“Nothing’s decided yet,” said Hisle in a meeting on Friday. The committee hopes to take action by next semester.
In the meantime, users may experience slower download speeds, especially during peak usage hours.
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