As the second week of classes ends, many off-campus students are still without Internet access.

The problem is faced by many apartment complexes throughout State College, leaving students with no choice but to crowd on-campus computer labs.

"It is awful. I have to drive into school every time I need to use the Internet," said Nicole Okinsky (senior-science).

Okinsky is one of many residents living at The Pointe, 501 Vairo Blvd., who will not receive Internet access for several weeks. In a letter to its residents, The Pointe said that it hopes to have Internet access for its residents the week after Labor Day. The letter cited a delay in the hook-up of a T-1 Internet line.

According to the Lycos Tech Glossary (webopedia.lycos.com), a T-1 line or DSL line is the most common leased by businesses. Local phone companies often provide this service.

Students are also upset because they do not understand the reason for the delay.

"They didn't technically explain it to us," Rick Garubba (junior-management and international business), also a tenant at The Pointe.

During the delay, students have found other ways to connect without driving to campus.

"We have been tying up our phone lines," Garubba said.

Others have had others do their Internet surfing for them.

"I have other girls send out e-mails in my name," Okinsky said.

Michael Askey, a rental agent for GN Associates, which owns downtown buildings such as The Graduate, 138 S. Atherton St., said that its residents also had difficulty. He said service is provided by Tsunami Communications and he was not sure if all of the company's residents now have Internet connection.

"They (the residents) call up here every once in a while, but we told them that it was Tsunami. So, they called them," Askey said.

Tsunami provides Internet service for many downtown apartments.

Alex Sahakian, president of Tsunami Communications, said that the delay is due to the difficulty of installing DSL lines. According to a poll provided by dslreports.com, the installation time of DSL lines averages several months.

"Typically, it takes well over a month or two to install the service," Sahakian said, "We have tried very hard to cut that period down."

The fall rush of students also makes fast installation difficult, because thousands of students want the service installed at the same time, Sahakian said.

"There are some bumps in the road the first week students come back," he said, "I don't know if there is any way to circumvent the problem."

Internet providers Conestoga Enterprises, Inc. and AT&T could not be reached for comment.