Campus departments and individuals are charged a monthly fee for telephone service, as indicated on our Rates page. Included in this fee is the maintenance of most, but not all, components used to complete a telephone call.
Telephone Instrument and Cord
Every department is responsible for its own telephone instruments. Department members can obtain any style or type of instrument they wish, from us or any off-campus supplier. The monthly service fee includes no charges for telephone instruments, and all maintenance of this equipment is the responsibility of the department or individual who bought it.
If you are having problems with your telephone instrument or telephone cord, our technicians will assist you on a recharge basis. You can request a repair using the procedure described on our main Repair page. Before you request a repair, however, we suggest you visit our Troubleshooting page to see if you can resolve the problem independently.
Telephone Wiring
Every telephone instrument is connected to the campus telephone system by wiring within and between buildings. All wiring within buildings is the responsibility of the departments in that building. All wiring between buildings is the responsibility of Communications Services. If the wiring within a building is damaged, or otherwise fails, the departments are responsible for all expenses incurred to repair the problem. Repair work can be done by Communications Services technicians, by another campus department, or by an off-campus vendor. If you want Communications Services to repair the wiring within a building, report the problem to our Help Desk at extension 8700. Communications Services will bill the repairs on a time and materials basis.
NOTE: All wiring within buildings must be installed or repaired in accordance with existing code and safety regulations, and must follow industry standards for attachments and terminations. Communications Services reserves the right to disconnect wiring installations that are non-standard and that are causing problems on the networks we maintain.
If the wiring between buildings is damaged or fails, Communications Services is responsible for all expenses incurred to repair the problem, and only Communications Services is authorized to make the repairs. Call our Help Desk at extension 8700 to report problems with wiring between buildings.
Calls to Off-Campus Locations
Although we have taken many steps to insure that connections with our long-distance carriers' switches are of the highest quality, problems with wires and cables do occur. For example, sometimes an underground cable is accidentally cut by a contractor. In that case, someone trying to place a long-distance call will probably hear only silence or static, or receive a recorded announcement. Communications Services then works with the off-campus telephone companies to correct the problem, or re-route long-distance calls using a different carrier.
If you experience difficulties with a long-distance call, please contact our Help Desk at extension 8700. Our staff usually learns of off-campus carrier problems within minutes, and can give you the latest information on when the problem should be cleared.
If your off-campus telephone call was interrupted by a line problem, our Help Desk personnel can record your telephone number, the number of the person you called, and the date and time you called. Your account will be credited for the cost of the interrupted call.
TAM
