RCN (News - Alert), a provider of all-digital television and high capacity voice and data services, has signed a multi-year contract with Suffolk University in Boston to provide digital cable television to university dormitory rooms.

 

The service, which will benefit students staying in more than 600 dormitory rooms in the university, will also provide an emergency alert system (EAS) via their television screens. Through the alert system, university can notify students of emergencies and other threats. Apart from the in-room digital cable TV benefits, students will also have the option to upgrade services on their own if they desire.

 

According to George Comeau, managing associate director of University Media Services, RCN was capable of giving a service that ensured signal quality, service, reliability and high quality customer care. “RCN brought a dedicated team of resources and professionals that installed a new infrastructure from the ground up. Our new system will allow us to grow our offerings to our students while providing a quality entertainment package.”

 

RCN has provided cable TV, phone and data services to many universities, colleges and student residence facilities. “In addition to owning and managing our own fiber-rich network, our teams are comfortable working with institutions of higher learning like Suffolk University,” said PK Ramani, president, RCN Business Services, in a statement. “From needs assessment to implementation and beyond, we have the expertise to quickly and efficiently deploy the services that are in demand without compromising our level of service.”

 

According to RCN, digital is the future direction of the industry, especially with the Federal Communication Commission’s mandate that all broadcast channels be transmitted digitally by February 17, 2009. The company recently announced its plans to switch its New York network to all digital cable TV programming.

 

The move towards all-digital enables RCN to reclaim existing analog channels, improve the picture quality, make the network easier to maintain, and dramatically increase the number of standard and High Definition (HD) channels it can offer to subscribers.

 

Suffolk University, located on Boston’s historic Beacon Hill, with international campuses in Madrid and Dakar, Senegal, offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 70 areas of study.