Dems: Colleges Should Be Copyright CopsOr they can expect to lose federal funding...
(
old news - 08:50AM Monday Nov 12 2007)
tags: Fileswapping · businessTipped by h4x0r3d 
Democrats are pushing a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would force colleges to not only deter p2p use on campus, but also offer students alternative options. The proposal, obviously supported by the entertainment industry, threatens to
pull federal funding from schools if they fail to implement
"technology-based deterrents to prevent such illegal activity." As you might expect, schools aren't so keen on risking billions in funding just because they aren't running their networks the way Hollywood would like:
"Such an extraordinarily inappropriate and punitive outcome would result in all students on that campus losing their federal financial aid--including Pell grants and student loans that are essential to their ability to attend college, advance their education, and acquire the skills necessary to compete in the 21st-century economy," a letter from university officials to Congress written on Wednesday said. "Lower-income students, those most in need of federal financial aid, would be harmed most under the entertainment industry's proposal."
The MPAA & RIAA's plan, which has been scuttled in the past, was buried in a
higher education spending bill.
