Staff Editorial: Cable, phone bundling a plus

As counter-intuitive as it may seem, the campus as whole will benefit in the long-run if more students sign up for cable television and dorm telephone services. Admittedly, students might spend less time studying, but they will save a great deal of money in the process.

The financial savings would come as a result of a Campus Council proposal to bundle cable and telephone service fees with undergraduates' dorm rent. As it stands, basic local telephone service, including voice mail, three-way calling and call waiting, costs $177.60 per room per year. The basic cable package runs $256 per room per year. Students subscribing to both services pay at least $433.60 per year. If Campus Council's plan is approved, the body states that the cost could drop to a little over $100 per year. That's a savings the average Duke student will undoubtedly appreciate.

The bundling will be a tremendously positive initiative if Campus Council and the University implement it correctly. First, the plan should not be mandatory, and individuals should be able to opt-out of the services as easily as they can opt-in. Students should be able to check a box online or express their preferences for services without extensive paperwork. Second, students should be able to pass on one service and subscribe to the other at the reduced rate. Third, Office of Information Technology officials should not charge on an individual basis, but should consider the number of occupants living in each room. For example, students in a triple should not pay three times as much for access to cable as a student living in a single.

The policy is accompanied by one caveat--the rate reduction will only be possible if the number of students subscribing to the services increases. This increase in revenue will cause rates to fall across the board. If students choose not to participate, the savings will not materialize. Individuals have many valid reasons for opting to forgo cable and phone plans. Television is a distraction for many, and a growing number of students are choosing to rely on cellular phones rather than room-based land lines. Cell phone numbers can even be listed online in place of room numbers, though this fact is not widely known. However, student-student and student-professor communication would surely benefit if students could cheaply activate the land lines associated with their online Duke numbers, and set up voicemail accounts.