Thursday, March 28, 2024

Trustee should stay quiet about Ethernet

Trustee Colleen McNamara's role as the executive director of the Michigan Cable Telecommunications Association is a clear conflict of interest with her role as an MSU leader.

Her decisions with respect to the university should be made based on her role as trustee, not her role in the private sector. I feel that her comments in the article "Trustee questions Ethernet plan" (SN 12/4), where she basically said the private sector isn't interested in Ethernet service, is a blatant lie.

There are many businesses interested in high-speed Internet access. A quick walk down Grand River Avenue will reveal many signs in the window offering free DSL as an incentive to get customers in the door. When she says that "(MSU is) chasing after a business that hasn't yet developed," she's thinking backward and trying to conceal the truth.

If the business hasn't developed, then why do I get three or more advertisements for AT&T Broadband in my mailbox every week. A high-speed connection in a student residence is the norm now. Everyone wants it or has it already - the only barrier is cost.

It seems obvious she is looking after the private sector's interests. The people who charge $55 a month for high-speed Internet access. A lesser charge of $36 charge for Internet service would save me $228 a year. In addition to the money we would save, it would allow MSU to upgrade its services and keep ahead of the curve as far as information technology goes.

The Internet has already started changing everything. Don't we want the university to stay ahead of the game?

I think McNamara should excuse herself from any further discussion on this issue, and we should all reconsider her allegiance to the university.

Dan McDonald
pre-law senior

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