Some students like Dana Garling (junior-elementary education) are keeping a log of when the connection is lost, others have been calling AT&T @Home to complain. Although the company does send trucks out to fix the problem, it has not been resolved.
AT&T technicians are often visiting her apartment, but the problem still persists, Garling said. Pranton was not happy with those visits, which she receives as well.
"They patronize us with appointments," Pranton said. "They send people out and nothing ever gets done."
Students are most frustrated because they don't know what the problem is and whether or when it is going to be fixed.
"I think it is ridiculous that they don't tell us what's going on," Garling said.
AT&T @Home Regional Director of Communications, Dan Garfinkel, said the company is aware there is a problem and said it should be resolved within the next three to four weeks. He said the glitches are a result of AT&T @Home having more customers than they are able to adequately service.
"We are victims of our own success," Garfinkel said. Some of the problem might be because of the heavy usage of programs like Napster where students are clogging up the system, he added. AT&T @Home did not anticipate the volume of business in the State College area, which is much higher than in non-student populated areas.
Technicians are working hard to clear up the massive outages, Garfinkel said.
AT&T @Home is urging their customers to be patient and advising them to refrain from using the Internet in peak hours until the dilemma is cleared up.
