[ProgSoc] Bandwidth accounting at uni

[Jay Banyer <Jay.Banyer@nospam.jcu.edu.au>]

The thread on the websense filter brought up the issue of bandwidth
consumption. Here is some food for thought:

Here at James Cook Uni in Townsville they have implemented an internet
accounting system where all (incoming) bandwidth is accounted for, and
must be paid for.

Every student and staff has an account on the proxy, and all usage is
charged to that account. The current rates are:

International: 8.5 cents / MB
Australia: 3.5c/MB
Internal sites and cache hits are free.

Students are given a balance each year depending on their enrollments.
Full-time students receive $62 per year for bandwidth. If they use more,
they have to pay more into their account at the cashier. The majority of
students (97% according to an official report) do not exceed their
quota.

Staff have an unlimited quota. The section they work for is responsible
for paying their bill. Very high use may result in a reprimand or a bill
for the staff member.

Apparently the total bandwidth cost for JCU dropped dramatically when
the system was introduced. For more details, see
http://www.jcu.edu.au/internetaccounting/about/background.shtml

It's quite strange using the internet at a uni where every megabyte is
accounted for. It really makes you think about your usage...

I actually think it's a good system provided that students receive a
fair amount of free quota each year. It certainly discourages excessive
non-academic use. It also creates lots of cases of mis-use to be
investigated... (i.e. running up a bill of hundreds on someone else's
account)

Cheers,
Jay.

--
Jay Banyer
Computer Systems Operator
James Cook University, Townsville
(07) 4781 6395
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