Off-Campus Housing Move-In Days Mean Busy Times For Charter, Supporting Students' Technology Needs

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.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110526/AQ10195LOGO)

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