Mobile Phone Program

Mobile Phone Program Overview

The Mobile Phone Program is available to full-time employees and all RCs are responsible for overseeing the enrollment and management of mobile phones for their respective unit. Employees must meet at least one of the eligibility requirements outlined below for enrollment in the Mobile Phone Program. RCs have the authority to establish stricter eligibility requirements than those outlined here, as well as opt-out of providing cell phones and/or the monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payments to support the business use of a personal phone plan to employees.

Purpose

The University recognizes the ways in which we communicate have evolved with more than 97% of Americans owning their own mobile phone and many users seeking a single cell phone that supports both their work and personal lives. The Mobile Phone Program serves to align with best practices and user needs as well as to provide guidance and establish parameters for a more equitable approach for the issuance of mobile phones, while encouraging the use of all viable collaboration and communication options provided by the University (i.e., Microsoft Teams, Outlook email, Zoom, OneDrive).

This program is part of the University’s commitment to provide business-related tools for faculty, staff and student employees in a manner that promotes the proper stewardship of assets and reflects the way employees use mobile phones for business needs in an expanding virtual environment. Elements of the program have been developed by incorporating benchmarking data from peer institutions and guidance from the U.S. Government’s strategic initiative “Building a 21st Century Digital Government” and other federal guidelines such as “IRS Notice 2011-72” and “Memorandum dated September 14, 2011”.

This program applies to mobile phones with voice/data plans; iPads and tablets with voice/data plans are not in scope for the program at this time. An employee’s eligibility for enrollment in the program is based on the type of business use and aligned to one of the tiers outlined in the following section titled Eligibility Requirements.

Program Benefits

This new program is necessary to ensure consistency across the University. Other benefits of the program include:

It reflects the University’s commitment to providing business-related tools for faculty, staff and student employees.
The ability for faculty, staff, and student employees to carry a single cell phone that supports both their work and personal lives. This addresses feedback we have received from employees about their preferences as well as best practices gained from benchmarking with peer institutions.
Permitting a $30* monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phone that meets program eligibility criteria. It brings greater consistency and equity in managing the business use of cell phones across the University. This payment is not an exact reimbursement of actual business use minutes of a personal phone and intended to provide support to defray the cost for business-related activity on a personal mobile phone without the employee having to submit documentation for business-related activity.
Allowing those currently using a University-owned cell phone who are not eligible for Tier I the option to keep their cell phone, free-of-charge, and convert the phone and phone number to a personal data plan with the provider of their choice.

The following existing practices will continue:

Cell phones will continue to be available to faculty and staff through Pitt IT’s Technology Loaner Program when traveling abroad. Additional details regarding cell phone use during international travel is available under the subsequent section titled "International Travel"
Continuing to provide cell phone pools for sponsored project research conducted under Tier I, and other specialized uses.
Cellular plan discounts will continue to be available from multiple providers for all employees and their family through the PittPerks program.

Program Details

Under the Mobile Phone Program, issuance of a cell phone with a service plan or providing a monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phone is not intended to serve as a formal means of personal compensation or benefit. Elements of the program have been developed to align with federal guidelines and other federal programs that promote best practices in cell phone management.

TIER I: UNIVERSITY OWNED AND MANAGED PHONE

Tier I: Under Tier I enrollment, a university-owned and managed cell phone, the department pays for the cell phone and service plan and the university holds the rights to each. The University will provide a university-owned and managed cell phone when it is used 100% for business use. Management of the Tier I enrollments are aligned with IRS Notice 2011-72.

TIER II: BRING YOUR OWN PHONE

Tier II: Under Tier II, the cell phone and plan belong to the employee, and they may receive a monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phone in the amount of $30 to defray the cost of the business use of their personal mobile phone, commonly known as bring-your-own-phone (“BYOP”). An IRS memo dated September 14, 2011 provides guidance on providing non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phone without the need for burdensome detailed record-keeping.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility is based on one or more of the following criteria and must apply to the employee for the entire one-year duration of the Mobile Phone Program eligibility period (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31). Once it has been determined that an employee meets one or more of the eligibility requirements, a Mobile Phone Justification form must be completed and signed by the employee, the employee’s supervisor, and the RC Financial Approver and/or MPP Delegate(s). Review the following sections for more information about the enrollment process.

TIER I: UNIVERSITY OWNED AND MANAGED PHONE

Primarily for legal or regulatory reasons;

Athletics Department: NCAA Regulations; OR
Public Safety and Emergency Management: Emergency response involving health, safety, or security of the University community members or facilities, OR;
Sponsored Projects: Mobile phone device and service plan allowed as direct or indirect costs, as named in the grant for the conduct of research, per the University of Pittsburgh Financial Guidelines for Direct Charging Practices; OR
A department requires the use of a shared cell phone by multiple individuals for on-call rotations (e.g., RAs and RDs - Student Affairs).

TIER II: BRING YOUR OWN PHONE

Employee is required to be routinely accessible (i.e., more than 3 times per week for a period not less than a year), by phone, outside of normal business hours; OR
Employee is required to be away from their designated work location (campus or home office) at least 50% of their established working hours (i.e., 18 + hours of a 37.5 hour work week for a period not less than a year), where either business cannot be conducted or it would be inefficient to use your University provided computer and has a need to communicate in real time to give or receive direction: OR
Employee's job responsibilities require significant travel (more than 30 travel days per year for a period not less than a year) and it would be inefficient to use their University provided computer to communicate.

Eligibility Period

The eligibility period for the Mobile Phone Program is based on the calendar year (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31) and an employee must meet the eligibility criteria for the full one-year duration of the eligibility period to be considered for enrollment. An employee’s enrollment status must be reviewed and approved annually to align with federal guidelines for cell phone management. The RC Financial Approver and/or MPP Delegate(s) must approve the mobile phone justification form for the issuance of a University-owned and managed cell phone and service plan, or a recurring monthly payment to defray the cost for the business use of a personal mobile phone. If the eligibility of an employee changes during the year, either through a role change, new hire, or termination, the department should take the appropriate action to update the employee’s enrollment status in the program. If an employee transfers to a new Department, enrollment in the program is not transferrable and the employee must complete enrollment with their new department.

Annual Enrollment

The annual enrollment period for the Mobile Phone Program is Nov. 1 – Dec. 1 and individuals must complete enrollment annually to recertify business use and eligibility for the next eligibility year. Without the annual recertification, the monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phone will automatically terminate on December 31st of each year. Departments are encouraged to complete recertification by December 1st to ensure the monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phone is established for the following year. Exceptions for enrollment in the program outside of the annual enrollment period will be considered for the following scenarios:

New employees
Employees transferring from another department
Employee’s whose job duties have changed during the year and are now eligible for enrollment in the program.

Roles and Responsibilities

Responsibility Centers will be responsible for overseeing the enrollment, day-to-day management and recordkeeping for eligible employees enrolled in the program.

Listing of RC Financial Approver and/or MPP Delegate(s) as Responsible for the Mobile Phone Program

RC #	RC Name	Contact Name	Contact Type
01	Chancellor	Stef Mowrey	MPP Delegate
03	SVC Research	Neil L. Bayer	RC Financial Approver
05	Student Affairs	Barbara Ruprecht	RC Financial Approver
05	Student Affairs	Tara Skeel	MPP Delegate
05	Student Affairs	Anthony Tripolone	MPP Delegate
06	Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences	Mat Romick	RC Financial Approver
06	Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences	Vanessa Guenther	RC Financial Approver
06	Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences	Gina Olinski	MPP Delegate
06	Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences	Matthew Marks	MPP Delegate
06	Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences	Susan Ferline	MPP Delegate
06	Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences	Carrie Waters	MPP Delegate
10	SVC and Provost	Josephine Terensky	MPP Delegate
15	College of General Studies	Mat Romick	RC Financial Approver
15	College of General Studies	Vanessa Guenther	RC Financial Approver
15	College of General Studies	Gina Olinski	MPP Delegate
15	College of General Studies	Matthew Marks	MPP Delegate
15	College of General Studies	Susan Ferline	MPP Delegate
15	College of General Studies	Carrie Waters	MPP Delegate
20	Honors College	Diane M. Bova	RC Financial Approver
21	Katz Graduate School of Business	Sachiyo Connor	MPP Delegate
22	Education	Tammeka Banks	RC Financial Approver
23	Swanson School of Engineering	Robert F. Toplak	RC Financial Approver
23	Swanson School of Engineering	Kathy McGuire	MPP Delegate
24	Law	Stephen M. Conwell	RC Financial Approver
24	Law	Audrey Deigan	MPP Delegate
25	GSPIA	Jillian Rodgers	RC Financial Approver
26	Social Work	Megan Soltesz	RC Financial Approver
26	Social Work	Maggie Kapp	MPP Delegate
26	Social Work	Vince Burns	MPP Delegate
26	Social Work	Michael Schreckengost	MPP Delegate
26	Social Work	Stephanie Walker	MPP Delegate
30	SVC Health Sciences	Jared Ekis	MPP Delegate
31	Dental Medicine	Jill McLinden	MPP Delegate
32	Nursing	Mohammed Abdel Fattah	MPP Delegate
33	Pharmacy	Nicole Lianne Kocon	RC Financial Approver
33	Pharmacy	Brian Zalar	RC Financial Approver
34	GSPH	Michael Singer	MPP Delegate
35	Medicine - Department #35010	Katie Rossi and JoAnn Reed	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35020	Suzanne Beardsley	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35101	Michael Rizzi	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35011	Sandy Honick and Rebecca Reese	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35104	Katie Maietta	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35106	Rhonda White	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35108	Kathy Hansell-Prigg	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35120	Deepti Ramadoss	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35117	Kristen Schwoegl	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Departments #35201, #35202, and #35345	Amanda Fetsick and Emily Bandi	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department 3#5204	Jim Kaczynski and Virginia Reiner	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35207	Candace Nicols and Victoria Gamble	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35208	Yvonne Way and Tom Hartmen	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35209	Nancy Harter and Colleen Frey	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35210	Chris Grabowksi	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35211	Dan Stump and Sarah Fitzgerald	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35213	Shannon Tatomir and Maria Kautner	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35215	Matt Bosco	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35216	Sue Conway and Trevor Wildman	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35219	Michelle Schwerer and Lin Pu	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35221	Elaine McCurry and Jason Santo	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35222	Tara Horr and Lisa Behanna	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35227	Sarah Ondriezek	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35231	Dean Duncan	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35233	Kathy Rakow and Jennifer Bruns	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35236	Rosalyn Christ	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35239	Steve Custer	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35248	Kim Finch	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35259	Mike Mehalic	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35295	Darleen Noah and Katharine Wharton	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35296	Kim Basile	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35322	Jim Kaczynski and Christopher Fedor	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine - Department #35380	Brian Smith and Katharine Wharton	MPP Department Delegate(s)
35	Medicine	Jennifer Madill	RC Financial Approver
35	Medicine	Brian Torchia	MPP Delegate
39	SHRS	Karoline Swiontek	MPP Delegate
41	Johnstown	Amy Buxbaum	RC Financial Approver
42	Greensburg	Ronna Colland	RC Financial Approver
43	Titusville	William Kline	RC Financial Approver
43	Titusville	Stephanie Fiely	MPP Delegate
44	Bradford	William Kline	RC Financial Approver
44	Bradford	Judy Bodamer	RC Financial Approver
51	University Center for International Studies (UCIS)	Michael Balderson	RC Financial Approver
51	University Center for International Studies (UCIS)	Rose Wooten	RC Financial Approver
54	Office of University Counsel	Leo M. Constantino	RC Financial Approver
54	Office of University Counsel	Caitlin Grace Manchin	RC Financial Approver
55	UPMC Hillman Cancer Center	Alison Lithgow	MPP Delegate
56	SVC Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement	Katherine Graham	MPP Delegate
57	Educ - Univ Service Programs	Tammeka Banks	RC Financial Approver
60	Libraries	Margarette Noreen Jerin	RC Financial Approver
61	Pitt Information Technology	Monte Ciotto	RC Financial Approver
67	Facilities Management	Carol Ann Armstrong	RC Financial Approver
78	Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC)	Anthony M. Taliani	RC Financial Approver
79	Business Affairs	Kathy Tosh	MPP Delegate
80	Athletics	Ryan Varley	RC Financial Approver
81	University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR)	Greg Six	RC Financial Approver
83	General University	Sharon Sobol	MPP Delegate
84	Financial Aid	Marc Harding	RC Financial Approver
85	School of Medicine Administration	Jared Ekis	MPP Delegate
86	SVC Business and Operations	Zach Harris	MPP Delegate
87	SVC and Chief Financial Officer	Stacey Czerniejewski	MPP Delegate
89	Human Resources	Kim Kushon	RC Financial Approver
90	Western Psych Institute & Clinic	Mike Kretz	MPP Delegate
90	Western Psych Institute & Clinic	Mariana Rieke	MPP Delegate
91	Office of Real Estate	Andy Stephany	RC Financial Approver
92	Business, Hospitality and Auxiliary Services	Kevin Sheehy	RC Financial Approver
92	Business, Hospitality and Auxiliary Services	Jamie Constantino	MPP Delegate
92	Business, Hospitality and Auxiliary Services	Richard Rode	MPP Delegate
93	Public Safety and Emergency Management	Luke Sciulli	MPP Delegate
94	School of Computing and Information	Donald M. Bonidie	RC Financial Approver
96	Office of Planning, Design and Construction	Gina Bleck (she/her)	MPP Delegate
96	Office of Planning, Design and Construction	Amy Brown	MPP Delegate

Please note: this listing is subject to change. Last updated: 10/12/23

TIER I: UNIVERSITY-OWNED AND -MANAGED PHONE

Upon approval by the RC Financial Approver and/or MPP Delegate(s), the department procures the cell phone and service plan through the vendor’s business portal and issues to the employee for business use. A service plan should be selected based on the anticipated and/or actual business use. The cost of the cell phone and the monthly service plan charges are departmental costs and should be paid monthly through the vendor’s portal using a department OneCard. In accordance with University Policy FN28, all OneCard charges must be reconciled and submitted in the Concur expense management system within 30 days of the expense.

It is the employee’s responsibility to stay within their cell phone’s service plan terms and conditions. The cell phone is to be used 100% for business purposes only, and any inadvertent personal use of the University-provided cell phone that exceeds the provided calling and/or data plan must be reimbursed by the employee. Cell phone upgrades are to be within the terms of the existing contract and/or at no additional cost to the department. Replacement for lost, stolen, broken, or malfunctioning cell phones must be addressed on a case-by-case basis by the RC Financial Approver and/or MPP Delegate(s). Please reference the responsibility matrix below for more details on responsibilities.

TIER II: BRING YOUR OWN PHONE

Upon approval by the RC Financial Approver and/or MPP Delegate(s), the department will establish a monthly recurring payment which will be distributed through Payroll Services. To support the volume of requests for monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payments to support the business use of a personal cell phone during annual enrollment, a one-time bulk import process can be used yearly to process requests to establish recurring payments. The bulk import process should only be used during the annual enrollment period (Nov. 1 – Dec. 1). If the enrollment is outside of the annual enrollment period to onboard a new or transferred employee as Tier II, the request must be completed using the ICP process in PittWorx. Review the Annual Enrollment section for more details.

The employee will see an earn code of Mobile Phone Allocation on their pay stub. These recurring payments are intended to support the cost of the business use of a personal mobile phone and thus represent nontaxable compensation to the employee. The amount of the monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phones will be set and reviewed periodically by Financial Operations.

The payment for a personal cell phone and associated costs for the mobile phone device and service plan are the responsibility of the employee. The University is not responsible for any additional fees associated with a personal plan such as insurance on the cell phone, accessories, cell phone trade in charges, added applications, special features, etc. Additionally, the employee is responsible for any loss, theft, or damage of their mobile phone. Please reference the responsibility matrix below for more details on responsibilities.

Responsibility Matrix

Responsibility Center (RC) Responsibility

The responsibilities of the Responsibility Center (RC) to manage the cell phones in their unit are outlined below:

RC Responsibility	Tier I	Tier II
Determine employee eligibility for enrollment in the Mobile Phone Program based on their job responsibilities.	X	X
Collect and maintain appropriate documentation for authorization and issuance of a university owned and managed phone or monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phone and retain mobile phone program records in compliance with university financial record retention schedule.	X	X
Evaluate usage and service plans annually, at a minimum, to ensure that the service plan chosen is the most cost-effective option and is reasonable compared with actual business use.	X
Complete annual enrollment of eligible employees to recertify that the business need is reasonable for the next eligibility period (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31) and aligned to eligibility requirements.	X	X
Ensure the mobile phone cell phone is returned to the department at any point based on the discretion of the RC Financial Approver and/or MPP Delegate(s) as it relates to business need and/or termination of employment with the University.	X
Ensure timely payment through the vendors online portal for all charges related to the University owned and managed mobile phone device and service plans through use of your Department OneCard.	X
Develop internal processes for reviewing billing statements and resolving billing issues for overages on a timely basis.	X
Ensure timely monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payments to support the business use of a personal cell phone to eligible employees by submitting a service request to Payroll Services either through the annual enrollment process or ICP Process.		X
Monitor monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payments to support the business use of a personal cell phone on level report, and notify Payroll if eligibility changes for an employee.		X
Ensure the monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phone is discontinued upon the cancellation of the personal service plan, change in employee job duties such that they are no longer eligible for enrollment to the MPP and/or termination of employment with the University.		X

Employee Responsibility

The responsibilities of the employee to maintain enrollment in the Mobile Phone Program are outlined below:

Employee Responsibility	Tier I	Tier II
Review the Mobile Phone Program policies and procedures to understand requirements for compliance with the program.	X	X
Ensure the monthly service plan agreement for Tier I cell phones is not exceeded. If the plan agreement is exceeded, employee should reimburse the University for additional charges that are incurred as a result of personal use. Monthly bill is to be itemized in the Concur reconcilement.	X
Take reasonable precautions to prevent physical damage and unauthorized use of the University-provided cell phone under Tier I.	X
Mobile phones are provided at the discretion of the RC. Employees are responsible for returning the University-owned and -managed mobile phone upon request from the department and/or upon termination of employment with the University.	X
Upon initial enrollment and annually throughout enrollment in the Mobile Phone Program, for Tier II, provide the department with the mobile phone number for enrollment, as well as a copy of a current monthly billing statement dated within 45 days of the enrollment.		X
Maintain an active service plan and cell phone in accordance with the receipt of the monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal phone.		X
Notify the RC if there are changes to their personal cell phone plan and/or if the amount of the monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phone exceeds the total amount of their cell phone plan.		X
Ensure the carrier selected has service in required usage areas, such as on campus and/or at home as required by the department.	X	X
Notify RC promptly upon deactivation of the cell phone. An employee is prohibited from continuing to collect the monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phone when the cell phone/plan is no longer active or needed for the performance of the employee’s job responsibilities.		X
Employee must use University applications (e.g., Outlook, OneDrive, MS Teams, etc.) when conducting official University business to send email and store documents from a mobile phone. Pitt IT has implemented measures though multifactor authentication which protects credentials and requires an individual to login through SSO from their mobile device.	X	X

Documentation and Recordkeeping Requirements

Departments are required to maintain appropriate documentation for authorization and issuance of a University-owned and managed phone or the monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phone and retain mobile cell phone records in compliance with University financial record retention schedule. The required documentation to be collected for each tier is included below:

Document	Tier I	Tier II
The signed Mobile Phone Justification Form	X	X
Data/Service Plan Agreement	X
Mobile phone number for enrollment	X	X
Current billing statement with a billing date within 45 days of enrollment		X
Yearly re-enrollment documentation	X	X
Supporting documents to terminate enrollment from the Mobile Phone Program, if during the program year	X	X

International Travel

If an employee is enrolled in the Mobile Phone Program and they are required to travel internationally for University business, they should consult with the Office of Trade Compliance to ensure they have taken the appropriate steps to comply with U.S. Export Control Laws and regulations. The University of Pittsburgh community (Faculty, Staff and Student) is required to comply with the United States export regulations when traveling abroad with commodities, software, and technical data.

The preferred method for employees who require a cell phone to conduct University business during international travel is to request a cell phone through Pitt IT’s International Loaner Program for International Travel. Devices are available to faculty and staff for the purpose of conducting University business and program activities during international travel to lessen the associated security risks while allowing full use of required software applications. Additional technology guidelines and tips for international travel can be located on Pitt IT’s website and the Pitt Global Operations Support page.

If a cell phone cannot be obtained through Pitt IT’s International Loaner Program for International Travel, and the employee is enrolled under Tier I of the Mobile Phone Program, the RC may allow an international plan and/or travel pass to be applied to the employee’s phone plan during their international travel dates. Please be aware that costs can range from $10 a day to $40 per month depending on the talk, text, and data needs. The RC Financial Approver and/or MPP Delegate(s), will be required to login to the vendor portal to confirm that the appropriate international coverage to the service plan has been applied to the employee’s plan.

If a cell phone cannot be obtained through Pitt IT’s International Loaner Program for International Travel, and the employee is not enrolled as Tier I of the Mobile Phone Program, the RC may grant an exception to allow for reimbursement of an international plan or travel pass if the employee is required to accessible by phone and it would be inefficient to use their computer to communicate AND they have provided a legitimate business reason not to use Pitt IT’s International Loaner Phone Program. The traveler must comply with the University’s Policy FN28 for reimbursement of telephone charges while in international travel status and approval must be obtained by the RC Financial Approver and/or MPP Delegate(s) and submitted with the employee’s expense report in Concur. The employee is responsible for enabling the international travel coverage for their personal device. The University is not liable for overages or roaming charges.

Data Security

It is essential to protect University data that may reside on a mobile communication cell phone. All employees who accesses University data using a mobile communication device must comply with the University’s Information Technology Policies, particularly A0 10 Computer Access and Use (formerly 10-02-05), Mobile Security Guidelines, Data Risk Classification and Compliance, Downloading University Data Standard, and standards for HIPAA compliance, as published. Pitt employees must protect University related data, whether on a University issued or personal cell phone used for business purposes, and delete or preserve University data as required. Employees must wipe University data from their phones when they are no longer actively using the data for their current University role, e.g., when they leave the University, switch devices, or turn in their phone to a service provider.

Violations in any of these areas may result in both administrative action and potential civil claims. Important areas to consider include:

HIPAA and protected health information
FERPA and education records
Proprietary business information and trade secrets
GDPR and international data privacy requirements
University license agreements for software, trademarks, and copyrightable material
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act
Pennsylvania’s Data Breach Notification Law

Personal Phones Enrolled in the Managed Phone Program that are used for University Business:

Employees with personal phones enrolled in the Managed Phone Program should not use their personal phone number or personal email to conduct University business. It is imperative that employees do not store University data (such as texts, data of any kind, or University documents) on their personal phones. In the event you have not followed the University’s advice of using these apps, the University may request screen shots of pertinent work-related information to assist with the collection of discovery for internal and external investigations, pending litigation, and/or in response to a lawfully issued subpoena.

The following apps can easily be downloaded free-of-charge onto your personal phone to ensure you are able to conduct any necessary Pitt business on your mobile device. These apps will direct you to login securely to your Pitt account via single sign on (SSO) using your Pitt credentials. These apps do not store data or call history on your personal phone, nor do they provide the University access to any of your personal information stored on your phone. Thus, there is no reason for the University to request your phone if you are using the following apps:

Business voice and chat/text: Employees should install and use the Microsoft Teams mobile app, which has both chat/text and call features that do not interfere with an employee’s personal phone number calls and texts. The Microsoft Teams mobile app uses your existing University-provided phone number alongside your personal phone number.
Business email: The Microsoft Outlook app should be downloaded to your personal phone for all University-related email communications.
Accessing business-related files: In addition to files stored in the Teams app, the Microsoft OneDrive app should be downloaded to your cell phone for easy, secure access to your other work-related files. Excel and Word are also available for download to your cell phone.

These apps are compatible with iOS and Android and can be downloaded wherever you download your apps.

Freedom of Information Act

The portion of any data related to business use may be subject to The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and/or other appropriate legal requests and the cell phone must be available upon request for such information. Note: Personal information stored on the cell phone, while not typically part of a FOIA request, may be examined by University personnel during the normal course of compliance with such requests.

Termination of Enrollment

If an employee is terminated, resigns, transfers, or no longer has a business need for enrollment in the Mobile Phone Program, the employee is required to promptly return any University-owned equipment and accessories to the issuing department and the department will either reassign the service/cell phone or end the service contract. If the employee is receiving a recurring payment through the payroll process, they must promptly notify the department to terminate the monthly non-taxable, working condition fringe benefit payment to support the business use of a personal cell phone via Payroll Services. The RC Financial Approver and/or MPP Delegate(s) must complete the Mobile Phone Program termination form and retain with the mobile cell phone records in compliance with University financial record retention schedule.

Additional Communication Tools

There are a variety of additional communication tools which can be utilized in addition to and in place of cell phones. Visit the following Pitt IT pages for information about:

Zoom Videoconferencing and Microsoft Teams as supplemental communication tools
Using the Teams mobile app to make calls from your smartphone
How to Make and Receive University Calls from Your PC or Smartphone
FAQs for Teams as a Phone Replacement

Resources

For RC Financial Approvers and/or MPP Delegate(s): Please note that accessing the following documents requires you to login to your account through Pitt's SSO.
- Guide for Template Completion - provides step-by-step instructions on how to complete the templates used as part of the enrollment process.
- Job Aides - provide step-by-step instructions on the enrollment, ordering and payment process:
Phone Holder Instructions
Frequently Asked Questions about the Mobile Phone Program

Mobile Phone Program