Section: Financial
Policy Number: 3-28
Policy Name: Reimbursement for Employee Access to University of Delaware Internet and E-mail from Home
Date: February 6, 2003
Revisions: February 21, 2003; July 1, 2005

  1. INTRODUCTION

    The University of Delaware offers free dial-up internet and e-mail access to all University faculty, staff and students. The University provides modem ports that support dial-up access, and provides support services for those who utilize this access. The employee is responsible for the cost of local modems and phone connections.

  2. POLICY

    It is expected that dial-up access will be sufficient for meeting most employees' assigned, job-related needs for home internet access. In some instances, however, University employees may be required by their supervisors to carry out work assignments that justify a higher speed service from home than is available using University dial-up service. In cases where these work assignments are documented, the need for higher speed home access is approved, and the funds to support such access are available and authorized at the employee's unit level, the University may reimburse employees for high-speed service. For all such cases, the following conditions will apply.

    1. The employee must be required to have high-speed internet access to meet regularly assigned work-related responsibilities at the University as determined by the employee's supervisor. It must be clear that on-campus and University dial-up access are insufficient to meet these assigned responsibilities. In itself, the convenience of home access or the occasional need for high-speed access is not sufficient justification for the University to reimburse employees for high-speed internet access.

    2. The employee's supervisor or department chair must prepare a request for reimbursement that includes a statement of the assigned work responsibilities that generate a clearly demonstrable need by the employee and that specifies the budget source to be charged for reimbursement. This request must be approved by the appropriate dean or vice president/provost.

    3. Service installation costs will not be reimbursed unless approval is obtained prior to installation.

    4. The Internet Service Provider (ISP) providing the service must be the least cost provider of comparable high-speed service in the area where the eligible employee resides.

    5. The Executive Director of Network and Systems Services must approve the ISP chosen for service.

    6. Eligibility and services used must be re-approved every two years and when there is a change in job responsibilities.

    7. Employee's eligibility for reimbursement ceases with separation from the University.

Responsible Unit: Procurement Services