"Students exceed bandwidth limit" (Nov. 3) omits some very crucial information about the bandwidth issues for on-campus students. The article suggests that students have no way of ever finding out how they used up their bandwidth. The e-mail message sent out to students does not contain this information because the university is not allowed to manage the content of the bandwidth students are using.

Most students are aware of what they are doing that caused them to use up their bandwidth, but those that don't are instructed to visit ResCom's bandwidth FAQ Web site or have their computer inspected by ResCom.

The usual problem is that students do not realize that anything they are doing on their computer which involves contacting the Internet uses up bandwidth, unless it is inside the psu.edu domain.

Students are also able to check their bandwidth at any time on ResCom's Web site and should do so if they are unsure how much bandwidth a certain activity uses, such as: uploading Facebook pictures or watching YouTube videos.

If students need to download large files, they are allowed to use the ITS computer labs or ITS wireless Internet, which does not count against their bandwidth. Students should remember that the bandwidth limits were originally put in place because the network was so bogged down, due to students' excessive bandwidth usage that card swipes to get entrance into buildings or cafeterias would take multiple minutes to transfer.