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Bill Would Tie Financial Aid To Anti-Piracy Plans
theodp writes "The MPAA is applauding top Democratic politicians for introducing an anti-piracy bill that threatens the nation's colleges with the loss of a $100B a year in federal financial aid should they fail to have a technology plan to combat illegal file sharing. The proposal, which is embedded in a 747-page bill, has alarmed university officials. '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,' said university officials in a letter to Congress. 'Lower-income students, those most in need of federal financial aid, would be harmed most under the entertainment industry's proposal.'"
School is expensive enough in the USA, I don't think these grant-supported US-citizens would be able to afford schooling in England.
The conspiracy nut in me wonders if this is an effort by faith-based right-wingers to drive more and more people away from higher education. Get the kiddies early with stories of Sky Daddy, and keep them from experiencing crazy new ideas...where's my tin foil?
Blar.