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ISP Service for University Campus Locations

This guideline pertains to the delivery of Internet Service Provider (ISP) service to a University Unit (either College or Administrative Area) which has access to the University infrastructure (e.g., University fiber served) allowing a direct backbone connection to the Penn State’s Network. Examples of where this guideline applies include:

• Units which have a requirement which may indirectly expose the University's network to a security threat or violate University Policy AD20 – Computer and Network Security or other University Policy.
• Units which wish to offer visitors wired or wireless access to the Internet, usually on a temporary basis.
• Units with requirements to emulate a commercial ISP environment in order to test their applications.

Considerations

University Units should consider the following before pursuing their request:

• Data speeds T1 and lower will only be delivered across University copper, if available.
• Data speeds greater than a T1 will only be delivered across University fiber, if available.
• ITS will not support the installation of ISP fiber or copper to deliver services.
• If neither copper nor fiber is available to the destination location, the requesting Unit will be responsible for all one-time expenses for installation of University owned fiber/copper.
• ITS will not support the delivery of a ISP service if it results in the University violating the terms and conditions of a pre-existing contract or service agreement.
• If the ISP service is delivered via the existing telephone lines (e.g., Verizon DSL Service) ITS will not permit a University owned directory listing number (e.g., 814-862-, 814-863-, 814-865-, or 814-867-) to be "ported" to another service provider. The directory listing numbers are a University resource and are connected with existing University contracts.
• Except for the Verizon DSL service delivered across University controlled phone numbers at University Park (see above), all billing and financial obligations will be transacted between the requesting Unit and the ISP.
• ITS does not provide technical support to the LANs connected through an ISP’s network unless it is part of ITS’s Backbone Extension service.

Related Policies

• Per University Policy (e.g., BS09 - Initiating Purchases from Vendors Outside the University, FN11 - Contracts and Leases, and FNG02 - Limited Delegation of Contract Approvals) any contractual and binding agreement must be submitted, processed and approved through Purchasing. Purchasing, often with support from Risk Management, will review the Terms and Conditions for risk and liability exposure to the University.
• All other related University Policies such as AD19 - Use of Penn State Identification Number and Social Security Number, AD20 - Computer & Network Security, AD23 - Use of Institutional Data, ADG01 - Glossary of Computer Data and System Terminology and ADG02 Computer Facility Security apply. To review these policies, see the University Policy Manual.

Process Guidelines

The process for a University Unit to request service from an ISP is as follows:

1. When a University Unit has identified the need for external ISP service, the Unit should consult with their ITS Consultant to verify their requirements can not be met by an ITS Service. The University Unit and ITS Consultant should also engage Telecommunications and Networking Services (TNS) to verify an alternative approach, within ITS’s suite of services, can not be applied.
2. If all of the considerations in (1) are met, the University Unit should utilize the ITS Consultants to help identify an appropriate ISP, determine the units service/performance needs, obtain pricing options and facilitate the procurement/contracting activity.
3. Based on the information in previous step and having understood the criteria for service delivery, the University Unit should obtain approval from their Budget Administrator (BA) and Financial Officer (FO) to proceed. It is the responsibility of the BA and FO to validate and verify that the requirement and request is consistent with University polices and supports the mission of the unit.
4. If an ISP is selected, the requesting Unit should contact TNS to verify the delivery method is possible through the University's copper/fiber plant. Delivery of ISP service may involve coordination within TNS in addition to multiple vendors.
   • The requesting Unit will need to submit a TSR to TNS requesting assistance (e.g., assigning cable pairs) to connect the WENSP through the University's copper/fiber plant for delivery to the end location.
   • One-time expenses may be incurred if existing copper/fiber is not available or other infrastructure upgrades must occur to support the delivery of the ISP service. If the delivery of an ISP service results in a violation of University or ITS policies/guidelines or, violates a pre-existing agreement/contract then the request will be rejected.
5. After receiving approval from the appropriate BA and FO and insuring services can be delivered to the user location, the requesting Unit should initiate a Purchase Order (PO) Request. After initiating a PO request the requesting Unit should engage:
   • Purchasing to review the ISP’s service Terms and Conditions (T&Cs), offer comments and provide the University’s authorizing signature. During this step of the process, any questions related to the procurement action should be directed to the Manager of Strategic Purchasing within the Purchasing Department.
   • Security Operations Services (SOS) to review that the request will not compromise the University’s security requirements.
6. Depending on the location, request, and the Unit’s requirements, there are a number of service ordering options:

• Option A - At University Park, if the determination is to delivery an ISP service, other than Verizon DSL, then the requesting Unit, with the assistance from an ITS Consultant, will be responsible for following the process outlined above.
• Option B - At University Park, if the determination is to delivery ISP service via Verizon DSL across an 863-, 865-, or 867- directory number or University funded small business lines, the requesting Unit needs to submit a TSR requesting this service from TNS. TNS will verify that delivery of Verizon DSL service is available to the location, and if available, will process the DSL order on behalf of the requesting Unit. TNS will also coordinate with Purchasing to insure the Terms and Conditions are acceptable to the University. The customer will be billed back for any one-time and monthly recurring expenses via the ITS Direct Bill. Note: The requesting Unit may not "port" the directory number to another service provider to receive DSL service.
• Option C - At all other non-University Park campus locations, the above process applies, but the requesting Unit needs to coordinate their request through their Director of Business Services and/or their respective Campus IT Director.