Base dormitories now have wireless internet Published Nov. 14, 2008 By Tech. Sgt. Joseph Kapinos 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Dorm residents on base can now enjoy free wireless internet for recreational, as well as educational, purposes thanks to an initiative started by Col. John Michel, 319th Air Refueling Wing commander, and finalized during a ribbon cutting ceremony here Oct. 17. According to Colonel Michel, bringing wireless internet to the dorms is just part of an on-going program to enhance the quality of life for all wing personnel. "The wireless in the dorm initiative represents the latest in the series of 'BRING IT!' wing quality-of-life enhancements designed to communicate how much we value all of our teammates," stated Colonel Michel. Driven by the need to fulfill that specific need of connecting airmen in the dorms with the internet, work started on the program and was completed within weeks of inception. Most of the leg work was done by elements of the 319th Communications Squadron, primarily the plans flight, which had the task of navigating any possible legal issues, as well as working with a civilian company downtown responsible for providing the internet signal. But once the process and the program had been finalized, efforts shifted to actually installing the equipment and making sure it worked for each building. This fell to Senior Airman Eric Peterson, a Rochester, Minn. native, assigned as a network technician with the 319 CS. "As a two-year resident of the dorms, I was excited to be involved in putting in internet access," said Airman Peterson. "I know there a lot of 'casual' internet users in the dorms who would like to use e-mail or Facebook® to keep in touch with their friends and families back home, but the $40 to $60 a month in commercial internet cost is something that some low-ranking airmen just can't fit into their budget." "I also think that having easy access to the internet will encourage airmen in the dorms to seek out educational and professional enrichment opportunities," he added. The internet will be free to all dorm residents, but each airman will be required to sign an acceptable use statement to ensure the internet is being used properly. "Each dorm resident has to sign the statement," said Airman Peterson. "This is free to them [airmen], but it is still being provided by the government and it not supposed to be used for anything that would reflect poorly on the Air Force or the base, such as sites promoting gambling or pornography."