College planners are currently finalizing the list of channels that will be offered over the campus cable television network when the improved system becomes active next fall and will likely release the list today.
Director of Instructional Services Mike Beahan said there will be around 50 channels available to students in their dorms, including all of the channels currently offered in the rooms and on the televisions in dorm lounges and other locations around campus.
Channels such as Fox, ESPN and CNN will definitely be available in the dorm rooms, Beahan said, as will the Black Entertainment Television network.
Beahan said his office and the office of the Dean of the College are waiting for Adelphia, the local cable company which will be providing the programming to the College, to return a signed contract.
After receiving the contract, the College will be making an announcement about next year's cable programming, which should occur this afternoon.
Matt Benedetto '00, who served as the Student Assembly representative on the College committee formed in 1997 to look into the cable situation, said he is glad that the expanded cable programming will be available next fall, although he will not be here to see it.
"I'm excited about it because I think that it was something that we're missing up here," he said.
Benedetto said the committee on which he worked suggested channels that would offer a broad range of options.
The subcommittee that brainstormed a list of proposed channels wanted to ensure that the cable service would provide not only entertainment, but cultural, news and educational programming as well, Benedetto said.
"We got together and brainstormed what we thought would be various things that aren't represented now that would be important to have," he said.
Students have been asking for cable packages of the type that will be available next term since 1997. Benedetto's committee, chaired by Beahan, recommended the installation of a cable system over two years ago.
The College delayed the initiation of cable service -- and subsequently the system's expansion several times over the past three and a half years -- because of funding issues, as well as a variety of technical and administrative issues associated with the installation of the system.
The current package, totaling 12 channels and including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, D-TV and several international channels, was called an "interim" package when it was installed during Winter term last year.
The Board of Trustees decided to fund the expansion of the cable system during their meeting in February, after nixing the project in 1998.
Nearly all clusters have had cable wiring installed since the campus telephone and Ethernet system was redone beginning in 1996.
