Financial Aid and Anti-File-Sharing Bill Advances in US House

The Education and Labor Committee of the US House of Representatives has approved draft legislation linking federal financial aid for higher education institutions with anti-piracy initiatives. The majority of the provisions in the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007(Bill HR 4137) (Bill) are aimed at increasing access to higher education. However, Section 494 of the Bill, titled "Campus-Based Digital Theft Prevention", requires institutions participating in financial aid programs to inform students about their copyright infringement policies. Institutions are further required to develop a plan to offer alternatives to illegal downloading or file sharing of copyrighted materials and to develop a plan to explore technological measures to prevent such illegal activity. However, there is no requirement for institutions to actually execute the plans required to be developed. The Bill also offers grants to institutions on a competitive basis, to support measures to reduce and eliminate illegal downloading. Proponents have justified linking federal financial aid to anti-piracy measures on the basis that if federal money is spent by institutions to develop digital networks, students should not be permitted to use those networks for illegal downloading. Opponents are concerned about the consequences of non-compliance with the Bill, such as loss of financial aid. Further, it is said that requiring institutions to offer legal file-sharing alternatives, such as subscription services, will lead to increased education costs for students. For full-text of Bill H.R. 4137, visit: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.4137: For a Press Release from the House Education and Labor Committee, see: http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/edlabor_dem/rel111507.html For further information, see: http://tinyurl.com/ypm8q7 http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9820200-7.html?tag=cnetfd.blogs.item For a letter from the Association of American Universities to the House of Representatives, visit: http://tinyurl.com/38oakk For a Press Release from the Motion Picture Association of America, see: http://tinyurl.com/3ygd7h Summary by: Lauren Lodenquai