NEIU has been working with Verizon Wireless in negotiating a contract for the construction of a cell antenna on top of the Ronald Williams Library. The final draft was submitted to the Board of Trustees at the Feb. 7 meeting, and was approved unanimously 8-0.
NEIU approached Verizon with the pitch in hopes of creating better reception for students and faculty on campus. According to Mark Wilcockson, Vice President of Finance and Administration, Verizon was selected over other carriers because of the satisfactory service they have provided with the other system. He stated, “This deal could open the door for future contracts with other service providers such as AT&T.”
Students and faculty are going to benefit by an increase to the annual budget and improved cell phone reception for Verizon Wireless customers. The budget increase of $21,600 is the amount of money that Verizon is paying annually for renting the space. Wilcockson stated, “This is the market rate for this type of rental space. The $21,600 will be deposited to the university’s general fund to make up for existing budget deficits.” Verizon will also be reimbursing NEIU for utility costs; this means that the entire construction will be free of cost to the university. Sergei Chernob, Assistant Director of IT Strategic Planning, said, “We are not expecting any building closures, but there will likely be restricted access zones around the library building.”
According to Wilcockson, the cell antenna will be up and running approximately six months after construction begins. It is a two-part process, he says. First, the actual antenna and equipment shed are mounted and assembled, then Verizon has to get the antenna hooked up to a power feed, as well as connect it to their network. The date construction will start has yet to be announced.