Unlimited Zoom minutes are here to stay for Thomasians—at least until Dec. 31, 2021.
After Thomasians reported losing the unlimited minutes perk in Zoom earlier this month, the teleconferencing company said in a notice that it had removed meeting limits on basic accounts until the end of the year.
Complaints about UST student accounts being limited to 40-minute Zoom meetings were posted on social media as early as Oct. 5.
A notice on the Zoom website, under the “Settings” section, says the time limit has been removed for schools dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Important Notice: Zoom has removed the 40-minute time limit for schools affected by Covid-19 through December 31, 2021. The meeting limit on your free Basic account has temporarily been lifted,” the notice read.
UST subscribed to two types of licenses for Zoom meetings last year: the “Pro” subscription for faculty members with teaching loads, and the “Basic” subscription for non-academic staff and students.
The Pro subscription includes unlimited time and a maximum number of 300 participants.
The Basic subscription has a 40-minute duration with a maximum of 100 participants. This was the time limit that was lifted until Dec. 31.
The Office of the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs (OVRAA) clarified that students and non-academic staff remain subscribed to Zoom basic accounts.
“There was no change in the specifications for the Zoom accounts rendered to students since Academic Year 2020-2021,” Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Prof. Cheryl Peralta told the Varsitarian.
Students have been able to hold unrestricted meetings since the subscriptions were paid for by UST under Zoom’s corporate social responsibility program amid the pandemic, Peralta said.
“As these promos have a specified duration, it is expected that Zoom accounts shall return to their original settings once the promo ends,” Peralta added. J.B.T. Lim
