Mobile Users Denied Wi-Fi Access Should Be Granted to Smartphone Users
By Andrew Silberstein ’08
News Staff Writer
Let’s face it, the speed of our internet here at Choate is not up to par. Browsing a simple web page can take as long as twenty seconds, loading a Youtube video occupies minutes, and, according to iTunes last night, downloading Flo-Rida’s new single, “Low,” was going to take 9,764 hours. It doesn’t surprise me, then, that Andrew Speyer, head of Information Technology Services at Choate, doesn’t want to allow wireless internet access to early technology adopters on their iPhones, Blackberries, and Razrs.
But I believe we students have the right to unrestricted internet access on our portable communication devices. Why? We pay for it. $590 of last year’s $39,950 tuition ($29,850 for day students) covered our “annual technology fee.” What does this even mean? According to the Choate web site, our technology is used “to improve communication, obtain easier access to information, and supplement a teaching and learning process centered on close personal interaction.” That makes sense. Choate has invested in the digital revolution in an effort to allow its students communicate more quickly and efficiently.
But isn’t that the same purpose mobile gadgets serve? I don’t carry around my iPhone to download blockbusters straight to my phone. Instead, I use the device to email fellow students and teachers, catch up on current events, and occasionally make a call. Unfortunately, the AT&T EDGE internet that comes with my phone is blisteringly slow. Earlier this morning it took me 100 seconds to pull up the homepage of the New York Times site, and more than seven minutes to sort through CHIP in search of my math class’s syllabus. Connecting to the wireless network could mean achieving download speeds up to 30 times faster than cell carriers’ networks.
In a recent school-wide email, Mr. Speyer noted, “each [new] wireless access client requires a licensing fee with our vendor Trapeze,” and therefore, it would cost too much to allow students access to the wireless network on these new devices. While this may be the case, does our extravagant $590.00 technology fee not cover the addition of just one more user to the network? If not, I am more than willing to pay whatever rate Trapeze charges to connect. Speyer also discussed the fact that Choate does not allow the use of cell phones in public areas, and therefore there is no reason for someone to need to connect to Wi-Fi. Why, then, is the iPod Touch, for example, banned from using the wireless network, when it is not a phone in any regard? Does it really matter whether I’m trying to access CNN.com from my laptop or from my iPod? I think it shouldn’t, but it is clear that ITS thinks it does.
Choate, in particular Information Technology Services, needs to reconsider its current wireless internet policy. Most college campuses that offer wireless access also permit the use of personal communication devices on their networks. It’s the 21st century, and it’s time to embrace the fact that our generation uses smartphones the way we use computers. I eagerly anticipate Choate’s decision to permit wireless internet access on portable devices. Then again, it might take a while for that email to load on my iPhone.
