In an effort to improve the University’s wifi network capabilities, the University Technology Fee Advisory Board is proposing a $5 increase in student fees per semester.

Wifi is both critically important to CSU and significantly underfunded, according to the UTFAB.

The UTFAB fees would increase to $50 per academic year, up $10 from the current $40 in student fees. The increased fees would raise $280,000 per year for UTFAB, and the money allocated through increased fees would be used to directly improve CSU’s wifi.

“It’s coming to the point where everyone is carrying three to four different wireless devices on them, that it’s just too saturated,” said UTFAB Chair and biomedical sciences senior Lance Li Puma. “So this is the year that basically the straw broke the camel’s back, essentially. We’ve had mainly students coming toward us, saying that ‘The wireless is a problem, I would like to see this fixed, so what is the correct avenue for this?’”

UTFAB student fees are currently used for services such as classroom support services, wireless internet, library services, RamLink and AIRESweb. All proposed fees and fee increases must be submitted by the Student Fee Review Board.

“The whole idea is that these are things that students want, so we’ve helped fund those through student fees,” said Brandon Earle, SFRB member and UTFAB liaison. “How the (SFRB) board actually works is each of these fees have their own directors, their own staff and essentially they come to us every year with a budget that they believe best fits their needs and also best fits the students’ needs.”

Collegian Policy Beat Reporter Ellie Mulder can be reached at news@collegian.com