UNIVERSITY TECHNOLOGY SERVICES ANNOUNCES JOINT AGREEMENT WITH TIME WARNER COMMUNICATIONS COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University and Time Warner Communications announced an agreement Tuesday (5/12) that will help improve off-campus access to the university's on-line systems for faculty, staff and students. The "peering agreement" announced by University Technology Services (UTS) enables Ohio State and Time Warner's Road Runner services to pass electronic traffic to each other's local networks over a high-speed fiber connection without going through the Internet. The Road Runner service uses the cable network to offer content and Internet access up to 100 times faster than connections that use standard phone lines. Because it doesn't use telephone lines, there are never any busy signals. "Faculty, staff and students who need high-speed access to the university's information systems may find Road Runner useful," said Charles R. Morrow-Jones, director of networking and connectivity at UTS. "For example, faculty who access graphic- intensive Web pages or who need to move large files would benefit from the direct connection and Road Runner's speed. Road Runner provides our users with an alternative means to access our systems, at higher speeds and without tying up phone lines or experiencing delays or busy signals." David Eastburn, Road Runner vice president for Time Warner, said the agreement is a win-win situation for both organizations and their customers. "This agreement allows us to provide a solution that will reduce the frustrations of people who need access to the university computer systems from home, but who could not do so as efficiently through a dial-up Internet provider," he said. "And, since Road Runner is connected directly to the Ohio State network using a high-speed fiber connection, both organizations will save money because it eliminates the need to send this traffic over the Internet." To take advantage of the direct connection, university personnel would need to subscribe to the Road Runner service. Road Runner is available in most of Time Warner's central Ohio service area, and will be available throughout its service area by the end of 1998. To get detailed pricing and service information, visit www.twcol.com or call (614) 481-5320. Road Runner, named after the Warner Bros. character, made its Columbus debut in October, when Time Warner launched the service for residential use. It currently is available in northwest, west and southeast Columbus, Upper Arlington, Clintonville, Hilliard, Worthington, Dublin, the Ohio State area, downtown and Short North areas, German Village and Grandview. It will be available throughout Time Warner's central Ohio service area by the end of 1998. University Technology Services provides guidance and support for integrating information technologies in the learning, research and business environments of The Ohio State University. # Contact: Charles R. Morrow-Jones, UTS, (614) 292-1302 Susan Bass, Time Warner, (614) 481-5389