Costs for a Satellite Downlink event can vary widely. When carefully planned, though, a downlink can be an efficient and cost-effective way to enhance staff development, share ideas with professionals worldwide, become updated on the latest developments in your field ... and more.

Here are a few costs to consider in planning:

PVN requires at least 2 business days (48 hours) to prepare for a satellite downlink. The earlier that you can make the reservation, the easier it will be to serve you.

PVN does NOT offer satellite uplinking.

Knowing the following information will help us expedite your request:

- Date of your event
- Start time of your event / End time of your event
- Is this a series of satellite conferences?
- Do you know the satellite coordinates (PVN has C- and Ku- band capability)?
- What is your budget code? (If you do not have a University budget code, we can invoice you.)
- Are you watching the satellite downlink event live, or do you want it taped only? (You can receive one free videotape of your event, included in your downlinking fee (see below). Additional tapes are $10 each.)

All PVN Satellite Downlink events at Penn are charged $150 per hour (FY08) of satellite time, for equipment reservation, use, and labor. You should also plan to include one additional hour's time for pre-event signal testing.

The following sites have had successful PVN Satellite Downlinks in the past: Greenfield Intercultural Center (GIC); Space Planning & Operations, at the Medical School; Perelman Quad Reservations; Annenberg Center. Please check with these groups to reserve a suitable viewing site. Or, you can go here for a general list of PVN-wired buildings.

All sites are subject to availability.

Please note: If you are making your own reservations, you should confirm with the reservations office that your requested site has an active and working Penn Video Network (ResNet cable TV) connection. You should also request an audio-visual (A/V) technician to be on-site. Our downlink staff will not be able to facilitate audio-visual needs at your site; they will be monitoring the signal directly at the satellite dishes.

In order to legally access a satellite signal, you may need to register with the originating organization. The range of registration costs vary from event to event; some are available without charge to professional association members. The Penn Video Network holds memberships to a number of these organizations, which may help to reduce registration fees.

Typically, Satellite Downlink registration costs range from $150 to $550 per event, or may be substantially more to register for a series of downlink events.

Fill out the Satellite Downlink Request form. You will need a 26-digit BEN (FinMis) University budget code in order to reserve the satellite dish. (If you do not have a University of Pennsylvania budget code, follow the directions on the form.)