Originally Issued: 2002
Most Recent Revision: April 3, 2006
Responsible CIT Division and Director: Administration and Finance, Rohit Ahuja
Cornell University provides telephone service for individuals undertaking mission-related activities. The university recognizes the need for personal telephone use, but expects individuals to pay directly for personal long-distance telephone calls.
http://www.dfa.cornell.edu/dfa/treasurer/policyoffice/policies/volumes/finance/telephone.cfm
The items/specifics outlined herein apply to telephone usage on any device (desk phone, cell phone, computer, etc.) provided and paid for by CIT unless specifically noted otherwise. Due to the costs of cellular services and equipment, additional policies have been developed by UBSC and approved by SRM that apply to the provisioning and use of cell phone services paid for by CIT.
Local and long-distance usage — The fixed monthly fee for desk phones covers all local calls. In practice, this includes personal as well as work-related calls, though the time spent on personal calls should not conflict with the conduct of university business.
Long distance calling is classified in three categories; Local, Domestic, and International. Local long distance is calling a number outside of Ithaca but within New York. Domestic long distance is calling anywhere in the United States, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. International long distance is calling everywhere else in the world that is not local or domestic.
Toll charges for domestic long distance are included* in the monthly basic voice service fee. This means if your phone is not restricted, calls made domestically do not carry a charge and are not seen on your bill. If you are using an authorization code on a restricted phone, you can contact your Telecommunications Coordinator to change this restriction and the code will no longer be needed for domestic calls. You will still need an authorization code to call internationally from any restricted campus phone.
*Usage rates are based on an average of 1,000 minutes per billing cycle per line. Typical university telephone users are unlikely to approach this limit. CIT anticipates certain departments may occasionally exceed this limit for phone-a-thons, etc. CIT will review overages on a case by case basis. Overages may incur current Domestic Long Distance per minute rates as appropriate.
See University Policy 3.24, Personal Communication Devices
EC500 (Extension to Cellular) service — This service is a feature provided by NCS on the campus telephone system. It allows a cell phone to receive calls placed to the employee's on-campus landline phone number. Although the feature itself is inexpensive ($3/month for digital phones and $2/month for analog phones plus a $10.40 one-time set up fee) and can improve efficiency, its use can result in unexpected — and sometimes dramatic — increases in cell phone costs. Each division will determine if and when staff should subscribe to this service; please consult your supervisor or director before ordering this service. It is also recommended that you review the following materials before considering this service; pay particular attention to materials detailed in the "AUDIX and Voice Mail" and "FAQ" links listed in the upper right-hand corner of the web page: http://www.cit.cornell.edu/services/ec500/.
Data services on cell phones — There are several Verizon plans that provide various levels of data usage on cell phones as well as a pay-as-you-go option. Data charges apply whenever a user connects to an internet browser or checks e-mail; data plans do not normally include text messaging. Each division will determine if and when staff should subscribe to this service; please consult your supervisor or director before ordering this service. As these packages and plans change frequently, we recommend checking the vendor web site listed below: http://www.purchasing.cornell.edu/verizon.cfm
CAUTION: Once there, scroll down to the box labeled Link to Supplier's Website; once there, be sure to select the first choice:
For departmental purchases:
Access to Secure Web SiteIn next window, be sure to select choice on left:
Departmental Purchases
Exceptions for personal calls:
The university policy recognizes that under exceptional situations a personal call may have to be made that will incur additional charges to the university. The following are examples of circumstances CIT views as exceptional situations:
In line with the above, every effort should be made to use a desk phone rather than a cell phone, even in exceptional situations. Staff is expected to use good judgment in making such exceptional calls.
Billing problems/errors:
To report incorrect or improper charges on your phone bill or cellular bill, please use the following process:
As violations of the associated university policy have potential tax implications for the university, violations of this policy should be reported to Rohit Ahuja, 5-5954, ra78. If you choose to report violations to your supervisor, unit manager, division director or a CIT HR representative, those individuals should discuss the violation with DAF. If you choose to make an anonymous report, you may do so through the Cornell University Hotline.
Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
University definitions are marked with an asterisk, all others are CIT definitions.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Business Call* | "A call that fosters or supports the ongoing mission of the university." |
| Personal Call* | "A call that does not qualify as a business call." |
| Local Call* | "A toll call for which there is no separately stated charge on the university telephone bill issued by Cornell Information Technologies." |
| Long-distance Call* [desk phones] |
"A toll call that does not qualify as a local call." |
| University Telephone* | "A telephone paid for by the university, whether on or off campus, purchased to foster or support the ongoing missions of the university." |
| Division of Administration and Finance (DAF) | The organization that provides financial and administrative support for OIT/CIT divisions and units, comprising Administrative Support, the Business Service Center, Facilities and Finance. |
| SRM (Senior Management) | CIT's senior management group comprised of CIT's Vice President and all staff who report to her. |
No Frequently Asked Questions are currently listed for this policy.
| Subject | Contact | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy Clarification Responsible Director |
Rohit Ahuja | 5-5954 | ra78 |
| Questions about auditing your phone bills or information on prior billing periods (desk or cell phones) | CIT Billing Office |
5-5400 | CITBillingOffice@cornell.edu |
| Questions about specific calls listed on your bill | Network and Communication Services Operations Support | 4-NCS1 [4-6271] | ncs-os@ cornell.edu |
| Cell phone rate plans, cell phones and accessories | AJ Humphrey | 5-6545 | ajh235 |
| Questions about issues related to your cell phone bill | CIT Billing Office |
5-5400 | CITBillingOffice@cornell.edu |
| Exceptional circumstances | Your supervisor or division director |
