American Cablesystems already has begun studying Harvard dorms--Thayer, an old building, Currier House, a new one, and Lowell House, something in between--to determine how difficult cable installation would be. American, the 12th largest cable company in the nation, has never wired a major university before.

In a preliminary report, cable engineers determined that it will be impossible to wire Thayer for cable because of problems with the physical structure of the building. Currier and Lowell will be investigated in the next two weeks.

Both Harvard and American Cablesystems representatives say they are primarily concerned about the installation costs and student demand for cable TV. Individual rooms cannot be wired by themselves, and the demand in a particular house must reach a certain size in order for the university to be eligible for bulk rates.

If Harvard and the cable company do not reach an agreement on a special rate, students will have to pay standard residential rates for cable TV.

The current services are available in three different packages: for $3.95 a month, the Neighborhood Network package, which includes approximately 12 basic off-air channels, for $6.95 a month; the New England Folk, which includes about 30 channels; or for $10.95 a month, Consumers' Choice, including all of the possible 70 channels. Services such as The Movie Channel, HBO, and similar extra channels will cost an additional $9.95 a month.

Harvard's chief cable liaison, Pandiscio, says he doubts there will be great demand in the houses for individual cable service, but students say they disagree.

"I'd be really psyched for cable," says Wayne P. Hurley '87 of Kirkland House, who estimates he watches 14 hours of TV a week. "Everyone I know has a TV and they all wonder why we can't get cable."

"It's hard at Harvard to watch as much TV as most people want," says Richard Polin '87 of Leverett House. "Cable would make it easier. MTV's perfect for studying because you don't really have to think."

American official Henrietta Gates says that at least the senior and junior common rooms of each house could get cable within one year.

Town Meets Gown on TV

Harvard plans to use cable TV to further communications with the city of Cambridge, says Jacqueline A. O'Neill, the university's associate vice president for state and community relations. "Campus events of interest to the Cambridge community could be broadcast citywide," she says.

A private group of 13 city officials, the Cambridge Public Access Corporation (CPAC), has been formed to explore the potential of a television station which would broadcast programming produced by the community and potentially students.

Like other Massachusetts communities with cable, Cambridge's public access channel would be used for broadcasting such municipal events as city council and school board meetings, and providing general information about city departments, says Edward T. Casey '76, director of the Cambridge cable commission.

Suggestions have been made for creating a Harvard television station, or setting up a regular spot for Harvard partcipation in community events through public access TV, O'Neill says.

CPAC will meet in the next two weeks to consider some central questions about public access TV, deciding on a location, and "how to strike a balance between professional production and interesting things to say," says Casey.