All students are confronted with a slew of choices to make upon arriving on campus. Between class registration and meal plans, book buying and fridge buying, there is also a wealth of costs to shoulder. This year, one decision has become more difficult due to heightened costs: to purchase cable television through the university or not?

University Information Services has introduced a new cable service to replace the Hoyanet plan that was previously available to students for $150 per semester. In concurrence with the nationwide switch to digital television from the ancient analog setup, UIS has introduced a plan contracted through a private company, the Residential Communications Network. The new service is more expensive and puts a financial strain on students who have already found it difficult to afford cable in the past.

Through RCN, the cheapest option for students is $53.95 per month, which, for the eight months of the school year, amounts to over $100 more than a two-semester subscription to the Hoyanet service. The change has made the option of ordering cable service less attractive for students, particularly those with doubles or singles and those who cannot find the time to hold down a job amid the heft of classes and extracurricular schedules.

The decision by UIS to switch to an outside provider is understandable: A complete overhaul of the Hoyanet system would be costly. But in light of the cost of cable service from other providers – for example, Comcast charges $30 per month for cable, an attractive offer for off-campus residents – the university should have contracted a provider that charges a price closer to that of the former Hoyanet service. (Comcast was not chosen as the provider because it offers only year-long contracts to buyers.)

Another preferable alternative would be to allow students to contract with different providers. Allowing cable providers to fight for individual student contracts would help drive down costs to an affordable level for students. The RCN monopoly on campus cable corners students into buying from an expensive provider, leaving them with little financial wiggle room.

The new service certainly has merits: It comes with 180 channels, as well as digital video recording and ON DEMAND options. If the university decides to continue its contract with RCN, however, it should at least negotiate another, basic cable plan for students – one that operates at a lower price, without all of the extras.

While cable is a luxury item, in the age of online video it isn’t as precious as it was, say, 15 years ago. The price students are forced to pay right now for TV is far more expensive than a plan like Comcast’s – it may not be worth it.

In the current economic climate, cost-cutting by the university is understandable. Passing the costs on to students to avoid a Hoyanet overhaul, however, is the wrong answer. If the university does not re-negotiate the contract with RCN after this year to give students a cheaper, basic cable plan, it isn’t a contract worth keeping.

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