STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Time for
college students to say goodbye to summer; pack up the microwave,
mini-fridge and multitude of electronic devices and return to
campus.
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These digital natives have never known a day when there weren't
flat screen TVs, CNN and broadband Internet. Many live
off-campus and when they hit the door of their off-campus home,
they expect their high-speed Internet, video and telephone services
to be up and running in short order.
Charter, the nation's fourth largest cable operator has done its
homework and is well prepared for one of the busiest times of the
year for the industry. For Charter, the off-campus move-in
taking place in college and university towns is a carefully
choreographed organizational undertaking that increases work volume
for technicians by as much as 400 percent. Charter serves customers
in 29 states where colleges, universities and technical
schools are located.
From the University of Georgia to
Texas Christian University to
Ferris State University and
Winona State University, Western Michigan University- Kalamazoo and a host of institutions of
higher-learning in between, teams of Charter technicians work
around-the-clock transferring existing service and installing new
Internet, TV and phone services in off-campus housing.
And Charter technicians aren't the only ones observing
burgeoning technology trends among today's college students.
Kathleen Bartzen Culver, Assistant
Professor of Journalism and associate Director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for
Journalism Ethics has been at the University for 14 years and
specializes in access to information, media ethics and digital
media, especially social tools. She's been witness to the
technology evolution and the impact on student learning, as
technologies such as high-speed Internet became a necessity – not a
luxury for today's students.
"Higher education doesn't exist without technology," said
Professor Culver. "Technology is a tool, not a learning outcome.
Faculty want students to use digital tools wisely. We recognize
that they can remain connected on Facebook, communicate on their
smartphones, listen to music, have face-to-face relationships and
also be good students with balanced lives."
Allan Samson, Charter's Senior
Vice President of Marketing, says the company has turned its
busiest season into a special customer event, working with
degree-bound students; placing kiosks at campus book stores where
students can sign up for Charter services. Charter's "Major You"
campaign is designed to appeal to students of all interests.
For instance, to showcase the value Charter provides, the
company invites its programming networks such as ESPN, Music
Choice, Showtime and Fox to bring entertainment to campuses across
the nation. Charter will staff mobile booths where company
representatives will demonstrate new innovations, like TV On-The-Go
applications. Students have the opportunity to sign up for services
and daily prize drawings.
Charter is also inviting college-age and tech fans of all ages
to enter the Charter Communications "Major You" Sweepstakes where
it's possible to win $10,000.00 or
one of 149 Amazon Kindle Fire HD tablets. Promotion Period:
Daily Sweepstakes began in July and ends at 12 p.m. ET on September
30, 2013. Enter At: www.MajorYou.com.
"If you want to witness the perfect intersection of
entertainment, education and technology, visit a college campus,"
said Samson. "Charter customers are already viewing programs like
ESPN on their Smart Phones and Kindle Fire tablets – and more
innovation is coming that will enable consumer devices, such as
tablets and smart phones, to interact with Charter boxes."
About Charter
Charter (NASDAQ: CHTR) is a leading broadband communications
company and the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States. Charter provides a full
range of advanced broadband services, including advanced Charter
TV® video entertainment programming, Charter Internet® access, and
Charter Phone®. Charter Business® similarly provides scalable,
tailored, and cost-effective broadband communications solutions to
business organizations, such as business-to-business Internet
access, data networking, business telephone, video and music
entertainment services, and wireless backhaul. Charter's
advertising sales and production services are sold under the
Charter Media® brand. More information about Charter can be found
at charter.com.
SOURCE Charter