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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014
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WOW announces Internet speed increase
LIZ KUHLMANN
@LizKuhlmannUDK
Responding to several complaints on slow Internet speeds, WOW (Wide Open West) Internet and cable service recently announced the company will be increasing speeds significantly in 2015.
WOW caters to many Lawrence residences and apartments as well as surrounding towns such as Eudora, Basehor, Tonganoxie and several parts of Douglas and Wyandotte counties.
Lawrence WOW System Manager Debra Schmidt said the company wanted to stay current with what its customers need. While a speed increase has been in the works for some time, Schmidt said the company wanted to make an announcement in late September about the change so their consumers did not believe the company was just sitting around.
The announcement stated that in January of 2015, WOW will have 110 megabits of downstream available. This is compared to a maximum of 50 megabits for cable plans currently. Following this first change, WOW will then provide a second speed increase at the middle of the year, jumping from 110 megabits to 112 megabits.
"I know it's weird that we're going from 110 to 112," Schmidt said. "But we have some marketing campaigns scheduled around those two numbers. It's a great increase and I think people will be pleased by it."
"I would love faster Internet," Meek said. "I could download things quicker, it would be more convenient for homework or when I'm watching HBO Go or Netflix there won't be as much buffering. It would definitely save me from annoyance."
Currently, this speed increase will only apply when a user is downloading as opposed to uploading any form of information. Schmidt assures her consumers, however, that WOW plans to update its uploading speeds from five megabits to 10-15 megabits in 2015.
Conner Meek, a junior from Stilwell who lives at the Melrose Court apartment complex, said his Internet and cable are dependable but there are times when his connection and speed is unreliable.
vide that for those who want it," Schmidt said. "Admittedly, the new speeds are not for everyone. A person who is just checking email and doing basic web searches certainly doesn't need that type of speed."
"We are doing this because we feel like customers are asking for it, so we want to pro-
The change in speed will not happen automatically, Schmidt said, and should a user wish to update the individual would have to call and request the change. There will be an additional cost to upgrade to the faster speed, and Schmidt said the price for this upgrade will be released in November.
"There will be an 800 number to call and we also have a local office that they come into and we can fix them up at that time," Schmidt said.
Carly Froyum, a second-year graduate student from Arizona, said while her service is OK because she lives in a three-story house, she has experienced terrible Internet speeds and connection while with her boyfriend and friends. This situation typically led to frustration.
Schmidt said she is looking forward to the release of the new speeds in coming months.
"If there is a significant difference that would help us connect and do things better on the Internet, I'd be a happy camper," Froyum said.
"I'm looking forward to providing our customers with what they want and growing our base for people that felt like we haven't provided enough speed," Schmidt said. "I hope this is an option for them so they can be really happy with our service."
Edited by Logan Schlossberg
Chicago air traffic center fire snarls flights
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO - A contract employee set fire at a suburban Chicago air traffic control center where he worked, bringing two of the nation's busiest airports to a halt Friday, according to a criminal complaint.
Brian Howard, 36, of Naperville, ill., is charged with destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities, a felony. When paramedics found him, the criminal complaint says, he was trying to cut his own throat. The FBI said Howard remains hospitalized and no court date has been scheduled.
Delays and cancellations rippled through the air travel network from coast to coast after the fire. The ground stoppage at O'Hare and Midway airports immediately raised questions about whether the Federal Aviation Administration has adequate backup plans to keep planes moving when a single facility has to shut down.
By Friday night, more than 2,000 flights in and out of Chicago had been canceled. A few flights resumed around midday, after a nearly five-hour gap. The planes were moving at a much-reduced pace, officials said, and no one could be sure when full service would be restored.
The early morning fire forced the evacuation of the control center in Aurora, about 40 miles west of downtown Chicago. It was the second unexpected shutdown of a Chicago-area air traffic facility since May.
Howard worked for the FAA contractor that supplies and maintains communications systems at air traffic facilities,
said Jessica Cigich, a spokeswoman for Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, the union that represents FAA technicians. He was recently told he was being transferred to Hawaii, the complaint said.
According to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, a relative who saw a suicidal Facebook note posted on Howard's account early Friday alerted authorities. Meanwhile, a 911 call from the control center brought a suburban fire department to the scene, where paramedics followed a trail of blood past a gas can, two knives and a lighter, the complaint said.
Kanna Ortiz waits in a line after her flight back home to New Jersey was delayed at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Friday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS/KANSAN
When they found Howard, he was trying to cut his throat and told the paramedics, "Leave me alone," the complaint said.
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