VolVision

Cable television was scheduled for installation on the UT campus in summer 1981 under a contract with Athena Cablevision Corporation of Knoxville. The on-campus installation was delayed because of the death of the general manager of the firm, but the married student housing units (Golf Range, Sutherland, Taliwa, Laurel, Woodlawn, and Kingston Apartments) had cable during the fall quarter. The provision of cable service on campus to student residence halls and other locations is through VolVision, an on-campus cable TV system operated by Telephone Services. In 1992 cable TV was extended to all residence halls—Gibbs Hall and the Apartment Residence Hall already had cable service (ESPN and CNN), but residents in those halls received more channels as a result of the installation, which provided 20 channels. Initial price for cable service in residence hall rooms was $12.50 per month. In 1994 UT Knoxville Telephone Services assumed responsibility for providing cable television service to residence halls—available in every student room for $5 per month. In addition to popular cable channels, four foreign-language channels were carried. Telephone Services initiated the term VolVision with assumption of the service.