Catholic Students in Washington Turn On Broadband, Tune In Webcasts and See the New Pope Francis

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2013 - With Catholics around the world awaiting the announcement of the new Pope, students at the Catholic University of America chose an alternative route to discovery.

Hundreds of students gathered in the student-dining hall located in the Edward J. Pryzbala student center. There were no TV’s, no radios, and poor broadband connectivity made it almost impossible to check Twitter.

Students instead facilitated the only option they had: watching the announcement over live stream via a projector on the wall. Over the course of the half-hour leading up to the announcement, the Internet connection to WETN – a Catholic News Service on television – remained unclear and often lagged several seconds behind. Every few minutes resounding boo’s could be heard as the connection timed out and students were left without the most up-to-date information.

A new web stream was found on CNN. This live stream of CNN’s coverage of the bustle in St. Peter’s Square allowed for students to be connected thousands of miles away. While students, faculty and members of the clergy ate their lunch and debated who the new Pope would be; they were able to connect to St. Peter’s via broadband connectivity. Live television will never be the same again.