Official Notice Updates

The following messages were sent via CalMessages to Deans, Directors, Department Chairs, Senior Administrative Officers, and subscription lists. Please check this website regularly for further updates.
If you have additional questions, please email wireless@berkeley.edu.

Date: Februrary 21, 2008
From: Financial Systems User Support <bfsbairs@berkeley.edu>
Re: [BFS] Cell Phone Policy Update

This message was sent on behalf of Associate Vice Chancellor and Controller John Ellis.

In January, I sent a message to the campus describing proposed changes to the campus cell phone policy. The proposed policy change was in response to an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audit at UCLA. Consequently, the University had agreed to bring its policy into compliance with the IRS regulations governing employer-provided cell phones. Recently members of the US Congress have called into question the IRS's position on cell phones; there are plans to introduce a bipartisan bill that would change the IRS regulations governing employer-provided cell phones. As a result of these actions in Washington, the change to the cell phone policy has been put on hold pending the outcome of these attempts to amend IRS regulations.

My original message and the draft of proposed policy changes can be found at http://wireless.berkeley.edu/policy.html. We provided advance notice of this possible change in policy prior to Regents approval because we felt it was important for campus departments to be aware of, and to have time to plan for, the potential impact of the proposed changes. The University will still go ahead and request Regents approval, and we will continue to monitor the developments in the legislature. If this policy change is implemented, it will likely be in the next fiscal year.

In January, the IS&T Cellular Devices and Services Group (formerly CNS) sent a communication to departments with cell phone users requesting that they update their records. Despite these recent developments, IS&T is requesting that departments complete the cell phone user records update.
This update will help to ensure that departments are correctly billed for the services provided. We thank you for your cooperation.

We will communicate with the campus as more information becomes available.

Thank you,

John Ellis
Associate Vice Chancellor, Finance and Controller

Date: January 14, 2008
From: John Ellis, Associate Vice Chancellor, Finance and Controller
Re: Proposed University Cell Phone Policy

All departments with University purchased cell phones and similar devices need to know that changes are being proposed to the cell phone policy. We are sending out an early draft of the policy, prior to approval by the Regents, to give you more time to evaluate the potential impact of these policy changes on your organization. The current target date for implementation is May or June 2008.

Based on a payroll tax audit currently underway at UCLA, the University has agreed to bring its policy into compliance with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations governing employer-provided cell phones.

The result of this policy change is that the University will no longer purchase cell phones for employees. Instead, employees will be provided a cash allowance (including applicable payroll taxes) that they will use to buy equipment and services needed for University business purposes.

The draft cell phone policy, frequently asked questions, and the proposed table of cash allowances is available at http://wireless.berkeley.edu/policy.html. The Regents are expected to approve this policy in March 2008 with anticipated implementation in May or June. It is very possible that there will be additional changes to this draft, but we do not expect the changes to be significant.

The IS&T Cellular Devices and Services Group (formerly CNS) is developing a plan to assist departments with the transfer of University-owned phones to employees. They will be in touch with you in the next few weeks to confirm cell phone information in preparation for this change. Human Resources is working with the Payroll Department to develop a plan to implement the new cash allowance process through HRMS. Until you hear otherwise, please continue to purchase your cell phone services through the IS&T Cellular Devices Group.

I encourage you to review the very extensive FAQs. Once the policy is approved you will receive additional instructions explaining how to transition to the cell phone cash allowance process. If you have additional questions, please email wireless@berkeley.edu.

Thank you,

John Ellis
Associate Vice Chancellor, Finance and Controller

Draft Cell Phone Policy Documents

(You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the following pdf files.)

Proposed Cell Phone Policy (Revised 01/02/08)
http://wireless.berkeley.edu/pdfs/Cell-Phone-Policy-Prop-Re-3.pdf
Cell Phone and BlackBerry Allowances (Revised 12/20/07)
http://wireless.berkeley.edu/pdfs/Cell-Phone-GrossupTable-4.pdf
Frequently Asked Questions (12/20/07)
http://wireless.berkeley.edu/pdfs/Cell-Phone-FAQ-2.pdf

Please check this website regularly for further updates.
If you have additional questions, please email wireless@berkeley.edu.