Originally Issued: 2002
Most Recent Revision: April 3, 2006
Responsible CIT Division and Director: Administration and Finance, Rohit Ahuja
Cornell University provides telephone service for individuals undertaking mission-related activities. The university recognizes the need for personal telephone use, but expects individuals to pay directly for personal long-distance telephone calls.
http://www.dfa.cornell.edu/dfa/treasurer/policyoffice/policies/volumes/finance/telephone.cfm
The university has adopted a Telephone Usage Policy that, due to high administrative costs, disallows the former practice of permitting staff to reimburse Cornell for any extra costs incurred when university telephone services are used for personal calls. The items/specifics outlined herein apply to telephone usage on any device (desk phone, cell phone, computer, etc.) provided and paid for by CIT unless specifically noted otherwise. Due to the costs of cellular services and equipment, additional policies have been developed by DAF and approved by SRM that apply to the provisioning and use of cell phone services paid for by CIT.
Local and long-distance usage — The fixed monthly fee for desk phones covers all local calls. In practice, this includes personal as well as work-related calls, though the time spent on personal calls should not conflict with the conduct of university business.
Long-distance personal calls from a desk phone will require the use of a personal pre-paid debit card, a calling/credit card, or some similar device, except under the unique circumstances described in the "Exceptions for personal calls" section. Calling collect is another option.
Compliance and monitoring:
Monthly processing for desk (landline phones) — Review and sign-off is required only when an individual's monthly long-distance bill exceeds $5.00 in a given month. A cover sheet will be provided with each such bill outlining the audit process and due dates. Signatures on the cover sheet will be attesting that all long-distance calls were for business purposes or were made under the provisions of CIT's exceptional circumstances guidelines (see "Exceptions for personal calls" section).
Employee responsibilities:
Supervisor's responsibilities:
Director's responsibilities:
Annual review for desk (landline) phones — CIT's BSC will develop a process to ensure that, on a random basis, each employee's long-distance phone bill is reviewed by their supervisor at least once per calendar year, irrespective of whether or not the bill exceeds the $5.00 monthly threshold. Supervisors and directors are responsible for ensuring compliance, as noted above, during such reviews.
Qualification for new CIT-paid cell phones — Cell phones should only be issued to staff who have a legitimate business need for a cell phone.
Cell phone re-evaluation when cell phone holder changes jobs or their position responsibilities change — When a person changes jobs within CIT, their need for a cell phone will be reevaluated by their new supervisor and an appropriate rate plan determined, based on the business needs of their new position. Likewise, when there are substantive changes to a person's job responsibilities, their supervisor will perform the same type of review.
Selecting a cell phone provider — Verizon is Cornell's "preferred supplier" for cell phone service and, as such, should be used by CIT staff whenever possible. Occasionally, there are valid business reasons why use of an alternate provider may be appropriate, such as lack of Verizon service at an employee's residence. Please contact AJ Humphrey in CIT's BSC (5-6545, ajh235) for assistance.
Initiating service, changing service, procuring phones and accessories — All requests for new service, changes to existing service, as well as the purchase of any phones (new or replacements) or accessories, should be processed through CIT's BSC to ensure that proper CIT approvals are obtained and that all appropriate discounts are applied; please contact AJ Humphrey, 5-6545, ajh235. Units should not use P-cards for such purposes nor make purchases with personal funds to submit for reimbursement. Both of these procurement methods circumvent the procurement approval process that CIT requires for all cell phone-related goods and services.
EC500 (Extension to Cellular) service — This service is a feature provided by NCS on the campus telephone system. It allows a cell phone to receive calls placed to the employee's on-campus landline phone number. Although the feature itself is inexpensive ($3/month for digital phones and $2/month for analog phones plus a $10 one-time set up fee) and can improve efficiency, its use can result in unexpected — and sometimes dramatic — increases in cell phone costs. Each division will determine if and when staff should subscribe to this service; please consult your supervisor or director before ordering this service. It is also recommended that you review the following materials before considering this service; pay particular attention to materials detailed in the "AUDIX and Voice Mail" and "FAQ" links listed in the upper right-hand corner of the web page: http://www.cit.cornell.edu/services/phones/ec500/.
Data services on cell phones — There are several Verizon plans that provide various levels of data usage on cell phones as well as a pay-as-you-go option. Data charges apply whenever a user connects to an internet browser or checks e-mail; data plans do not normally include text messaging. Each division will determine if and when staff should subscribe to this service; please consult your supervisor or director before ordering this service. As these packages and plans change frequently, we recommend checking the vendor web site listed below: http://www.purchasing.cornell.edu/verizon.cfm
CAUTION: Once there, scroll down to the box labeled Link to Supplier's Website; once there, be sure to select the first choice:
For departmental purchases:
Access to Secure Web SiteIn next window, be sure to select choice on left:
Departmental Purchases
Cell phone usage — University policy states that: "no direct payment is required for personal calls on university-owned cellular telephones, provided there are no additional costs incurred as a result of personal telephone use". It further states that: "the cellular billing plan must be commensurate with the business needs of the unit". Employees should also keep in mind that time spent on personal calls should not conflict with the conduct of university business.
Division/unit management are responsible for choosing cellular carriers and plans that are commensurate with their division's/unit's business needs; personal calling should not be factored into this decision.
Taking all of the above into account, individuals are cautioned that using their university cell phone to place or receive personal calls could result in incremental costs in a given month, a violation of university policy unless such calls fall under the circumstances described in the "Exceptions for personal calls" section. No reimbursement is required for personal usage but, when monthly usage exceeds plan limits and incremental costs are incurred, any personal usage during that month is considered a violation of university policy.
Compliance and monitoring:
Monthly processing for cellular (wireless) phones — Review and sign-off is required for all cell phones, but processes vary depending on cell phone plan and usage. A cover sheet will be provided with each bill outlining the audit process and due dates. Signatures on the cover sheet will be attesting that: (1) the selected rate plan is appropriate for the employee's current business usage and (2) all cell phone usage was for business purposes or that any personal usage did not result in incremental costs or was allowable under CIT's exceptional circumstances guidelines (see "Exceptions for personal calls" section).
Employee responsibilities:
Supervisor's responsibilities:
Director's Responsibilities:
Annual review for cellular (wireless) phones — Once a year, CIT's BSC will provide each director with a list of all of their division's cell phones, detailing the rate plans associated with each. These reports should be reviewed to determine if the employee still needs a cell phone and, if so, whether any changes should be made to individual plans to ensure compliance with CIT and university policies. If business needs dictate an upgrade or a downgrade to another plan, then action should be taken to do so, Unlike most personal cell phone plans, the university contracts allow changes to rate plans (up or down) without any penalties. Supervisors familiar with each employee's business needs can help with this review or directors can request billing detail from CIT's BSC (see "Contacts" section).
Alternate approaches for cell phone needs — In circumstances where cell phones are issued to staff members for the sole purpose of rotating after-hours, on-call responsibilities, units should consider a single cell phone that is shared among the affected staff members. This approach not only saves money but also allows a single number to be listed for the on-call group instead of having to maintain up-to-date on-call rosters and individual cell phone number lists.
Staff may elect to use a personally paid cell phone service instead of one funded by the department. In such cases, if cell phone accessibility is a unit requirement, the staff member and his or her supervisor must reach mutual agreement on the availability of that service for business needs, including appropriate distribution of the individual's cell phone number.
CIT does not offer partial or full reimbursements for a personally paid cell phone service that is also used to meet the department's business needs. For the time being, CIT has decided against pursuing a personal stipend program as an option to — or a replacement for — CIT-provided cell phones because the university is exploring such an option.
Exceptions for personal calls:
The university policy recognizes that under exceptional situations a personal call may have to be made that will incur additional charges to the university. The following are examples of circumstances CIT views as exceptional situations:
In line with the above, every effort should be made to use a desk phone rather than a cell phone, even in exceptional situations. Staff is expected to use good judgment in making such exceptional calls.
Billing problems/errors:
To report incorrect or improper charges on your phone bill or cellular bill, please use the following process:
As violations of the associated university policy have potential tax implications for the university, violations of this policy should be reported to DAF (Pat Nelson, 5-55525, pas2, or Rohit Ahuja, 5-5954, ra78). If you choose to report violations to your supervisor, unit manager, division director or a CIT HR representative, those individuals should discuss the violation with DAF. If you choose to make an anonymous report, you may do so through the Cornell University Hotline.
Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
University definitions are marked with an asterisk, all others are CIT definitions.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Business Call* | "A call that fosters or supports the ongoing mission of the university." |
| Personal Call* | "A call that does not qualify as a business call." |
| Local Call* | "A toll call for which there is no separately stated charge on the university telephone bill issued by Cornell Information Technologies." |
| Long-distance Call* [desk phones] |
"A toll call that does not qualify as a local call." |
| University Telephone* | "A telephone paid for by the university, whether on or off campus, purchased to foster or support the ongoing missions of the university." |
| CIT Cell Phone "Base" Rate Plan(s)
1CIT units should use Cornell's "preferred supplier," Verizon, unless there is a unique business need that dictates otherwise, such as lack of signal at an employee's residence. |
Due to the volatility of cell phone rate plans, the following information is subject to change. Every attempt will be made to keep this information current, but the CIT BSC (AJ Humphrey, 5-6545, ajh235) will have the most up-to-date information. Verizon1: Option 1 — "America's Choice 450" is $32.39 for 450-minute plan with "IN Calling" (all Verizon cell-to-cell calls are free) Option 2 — "America's Choice 300" is $28.34 for 300-minute plan without "IN Calling" (all cell-to-cell usage comes out of the 300 plan minutes) NOTE: Either of the above Verizon options are acceptable. Units should choose Option 2 only when the need for business cellular usage is very minimal and is well within the 300-minute maximum; otherwise, Option 1 should be selected. Other cell phone providers1: For purposes of identifying a "base" rate plan, choose the plan that most closely parallels the Verizon "base" plans listed above. |
| Business Service Center (BSC) | Business Service Center (BSC) |
| Division of Administration and Finance (DAF) | The organization that provides financial and administrative support for OIT/CIT divisions and units, comprising Administrative Support, the Business Service Center, Facilities and Finance. |
| SRM (Senior Management) | CIT's senior management group comprised of CIT's Vice President and all staff who report to her. |
No Frequently Asked Questions are currently listed for this policy.
| Subject | Contact | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy Clarification Responsible Director |
Rohit Ahuja | 5-5954 | ra78 |
| Questions about auditing your phone bills or information on prior billing periods (desk or cell phones) | Kim Tilton | 5-8760 | kmt1 |
| Questions about specific calls listed on your bill | Network and Communication Services Operations Support | 4-NCS1 [4-6271] | ncs-os@ cornell.edu |
| Cell phone rate plans, cell phones and accessories | AJ Humphrey | 5-6545 | ajh235 |
| Questions about issues related to your cell phone bill | Kim Tilton | 5-8760 | kmt1 |
| Exceptional circumstances | Your supervisor or division director |
Any other questions should be directed to Kim Tilton, 5-8760, kmt1.
