FCC devises $7 billion plan to censor college Internet use

MARIA D’ALESSANDRO MANAGING EDITOR MAD724@CABRINI EDU

The Federal Communications Commission, the FCC, is scheming to pressure colleges into purchasing new technology to monitor computer use in schools. The government and the FCC are asking “universities, online communications companies and cities to overhaul their Internet computer networks,” according to the New York Times.

This would simplify the monitoring of e-mail by law enforcements. The system upgrade will, according to the U.S. government, help catch terrorists after a $7 billion fee is paid. The FCC is asking for compliance by spring of 2007.

The order was published in the Federal Register last week and was issued by the FCC in August.

The Justice Department needs these changes to conduct wiretaps to fight against spies and criminals, according to the New York Times.

This order extends the 1994 law, the Communications Assis- tance for Law Enforcement Act, which required telephone carriers to allow government surveillance access. This command from the FCC applies to libraries, airports and municipalities or cities, like Philadelphia, that provide wireless Internet service.

The Justice Department states that the new requirements are necessary to keep the 1994 law “viable in the face of the monumental shift of the telecommunications industry” and to enable law enforcement to “accomplish its mission in the face of rapidly advancing technology.”

The FCC has considered exempting educational institutions from some of the provisions, but no decisions have been made.

“It seems like overkill to make all these institutions spend this huge amount of money for a justin-case kind of scenario,” Larry Conrad, the chief information officer at Florida State University, said.

Lawyers for the American Council on Education, the largest association of universities and colleges in the U.S., are working to appeal the order, according to the New York Times. Terry Hartle, a senior vice president of the council, said that the costs are extraordinary for universities to fork over. “This is the mother of all unfunded mandates,” Hartle said.

Some government officials said that they do not see the compliance as “overly costly” for colleges, according to the New York Times. However, even based on the lowest figures, the costs would increase annual tuition by $450, on average. University associations, like Educause, are working to find cheaper alternatives. “This is a fight over whether a Buick is good enough, or do you need a Lexus?” Albert Gidari, Jr., a lawyer for Educause, said. “The F.B.I. is the lead agency, and they are insisting on the Lexus.”

All the sources used in this story were contributed by the New York Times.

Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@yahoogroups.com . The editors will review your points each week and make corrections if warranted.

Bird flu threatens country

DAINA HAVENS STAFF WRITER DMH724@CABRINI EDU

The spread of the dreaded bird flu was acknowledged as a “global threat” by European Union foreign ministers on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Dr. Marc Siegel, author of “False Alarm: The Truth About the Epidemic of Fear,” said it is likely that such a pandemic could occur “over the next 50 years and maybe even over the next 10 or 20,” according to the Associated Press.

Picture standing beside a 15-month old baby girl as her tears drench the examination table. This little girl is suspected of having the bird flu and is being treated in Hanoi, Vietnam. Hope diminishes as time passes and there is still no cure or vaccination to appease her steady whimpering.

Seasonal flu vaccination fails to safeguard the human species from a potential bird flu pandemic. The recent media coverage of a bird flu, also referred to as avian influenza, outbreak has caused great distress and misunderstanding among the general population. The human flu virus and the avian bird flu virus are both caused by the influenza virus, but are composed of two very different flu strains, making it impossible to vaccinate against both with only one flu shot.

Although vaccinations have been researched and are in the developmental process, there is no avian flu shot currently commercially available.

“From what I hear, it sounds dangerous, but nothing really can be done until there is a vaccine so I wouldn’t worry about it right now,” junior exercise science major Elizabeth Wackerle said.

Although the current cases have originated around the Asian continent, the possibility of a human outbreak reaching America’s protected soil has become a possible reality

“The world is woefully unprepared,” Mike Leavitt, the U.S. secretary of health and human services, said.

Avian influenza is an infectious disease of birds caused by type A strains of the influenza virus, according to the Associated Press. Because the human species has not yet developed a strong immunity to the particular strain of Avian Flu, the necessity of preventing an outbreak is heightened.

This winter season, many people may get the seasonal

Bird flu, page 4

Internet ing colleges to spend $7 billion nationwide