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Monday, November 19, 2007 When Taxpayers Foot the Bill for Subscriptions – It’s a Prescription for Failure Last week, the United States of House of Representatives crossed a bridge that not even the most jaded of politicos or ardent supporters of the democratic process could defend. Buried deep in the back of the College Opportunity and Affordability Act (COAA), a 747 page spending bill that support hundreds of universities, and, more importantly, supply federal financial aid to millions of college students, was something called the “Campus Based Digital Theft Prevention” provision. In Washington, this is what is known as a drop in. By adding a small, “meaningless” clause to an otherwise popular bill, a Member – or more likely a large contributor to that Member – is able to change a law or policy without anyone noticing until it is too late. And that is exactly what happened last week.The Campus Based Digital Theft Prevention provision of the COAA would require every university receiving federal funds to purchase a subscription to a music download service as a way of preventing unauthorized downloads and file sharing on college campuses. The recording industry, which has pushed for similar congressional mandates for some time, has argued that university networks are paid for by the taxpayers, and as such can and should be policed to ensure students don’t use them inappropriately. I don’t think there is any question that illegal and improper downloading and pirating should be curtailed – but there is a limit. If this seems like much ado about nothing, try to imagine how this could be applied in the future. If the precedent is set, it would certainly be reasonable for clothing retailers like Banana Republic and J. Crew to ask Congress for help in stopping another scourge running rampant on our college campuses – poorly dressed students borrowing each other’s clothes. Have you seen these kids today? It’s an epidemic, they just share sweatshirts and T’s with no regard for fashion or copyright and ownership. To fight this growing threat, Congress could require every university buy every one of its students (even the already fashion conscious) a subscriptions to Vogue and Esquire. The price would be in the millions annually but it would be more than worth the price. Of course the magazine and the retailers it features would see a healthy boost in their profits, but this is about the greater good, right? After all, these often borrowed, shared, and otherwise ill gotten and even worse fitting clothes are stored in college dorms. Dorms paid for by the tax dollars and the federal government. We have every right to crack down on how students use these facilities – be they a virtual network or a bricks and mortar closet. I don’t see Banana and J. Crew upping their contributions in Washington in hopes of making this happen any time soon, but if the Campus Based Digital Theft Prevention provision is allowed to stand, and the COAA passes in the House and Senate, be forewarned. It may not be too long before your tax dollars are used to teach students about the dos and don’ts of fashion rather than giving them a real education. No really - read more about it: File under: CoAA 2007 Bill tying financial aid to antipiracy efforts passes House committee MPAA and RIAA want universities to become copyright cops posted by Digital Freedom Campaign # 9:00 AM 
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