More than 1,100 students statewide will lose dial-up Internet service at the end of the month as the university ends its subsidized program.

Established about 20 years ago, the dial-up service provided off-campus students with free Web access. University officials cited steady decline in users as well as tight budgets.

Discontinuing the service should save the university about $269,000 per year, according to a May memo by Steve Smith, UA's chief information technology officer. Money saved from eliminating dial-up would help cover about $750,000 of increased network costs, according to Smith.

"Obviously the impact is the cost that the students are left to bare," said Bill Gregory, the director of operational services.

About 500 UAF students and 175 employees take advantage of the service, with even more at UAA and other campuses. Usage peaked in the mid 1990's, Gregory said, though statistics were unavailable.

But UA stands to have surplus network funds next semester thanks to a new 2 percent fee based on student credit hours starting in the spring. According to the Budget and Institutional Research Office, statewide should receive about $640,000 next semester and $1.4 million next year, providing even more money to cover network costs.

"It will certainly help," Gregory said.

The university plans to get the word out before the month ends so students aren't surprised, Gregory said. "Invariably there's going to be someone who's going to try to dial in on January 1 and not get connected," he said.

Statewide contracted-out about 90 percent of the modem service with ACS before they deciding to cut the service entirely. With the current contract ending at the end of the year, Smith decided not to renew it.

"Every one of the communities where the university provides no-cost dial up service has one or more options for faster dial up service from commercial providers," Smith wrote in May. "This action means, in most instances, the cost of remote access to the university will be the responsibility of the individual."

UA has negotiated with Internet vendors to establish accounts at bargain student and employee rates. ACS now offers dial-up for $10 to $15 a month, while GCI offers a semester of dial-up for $50 and cable Internet for $100, not including set-up.

Off-campus students, faculty and staff will still have access to university systems.

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