What does Section 494 of the College Education and Affordability Act contain? Probably four people know, ’cause that thing is like 747 pages long. (Actually, it is 747 pages long.) But tucked in there is a provision – some might call it an earmark – from the RIAA and MPAA that would require any university receiving federal funding to install filters deterring copyright infringement on college campuses. The American Council on Education sent its own letters to Congress, arguing Sec. 494 would require undue financial burden on institutions of higher learning that are busy either giving tuition away for free or pinging students with erroneous fees like “science laboratory use fee” when they’re art majors. [THR Esq.]
