Call to Action re HR3746 from EDUCAUSE

[David Farber <dfarber () cs cmu edu>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: dewayne () warpspeed com (Dewayne Hendricks)
Date: October 6, 2007 2:48:26 AM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <xyzzy () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Call to Action re HR3746 from EDUCAUSE

CALL TO ACTION:
Please contact your representatives to the U.S. House of  
Representatives immediately about HR3746.

Members of the House Committee on Education and Labor have just  
introduced legislation to control illegal file sharing in higher  
education that uses essentially the same language as the recent Reid  
amendment in the Senate. This bill, called the College Access and  
Opportunity Act of 2007, includes language that:

* Makes the Secretary of Education an agent of the entertainment  
industry.

* Gives schools no right to contest or appeal industry provided- 
statistics on copyright violations that can result in severe penalties.

* Requires use of unproven and very expensive technological controls.

* Could result in the loss of financial aid to all students of  
schools that do not comply.

* Singles out institutions of higher education and ignores commercial  
ISPs.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Coordinate your response to this challenge with your institutional  
executives and federal relations officers.

2. Call the main sponsors of the bill to express your strong  
opposition to this proposal:

   Representative Buck McKeon, ph: (202) 225-1956, fax: (202) 226-0683
   Representative Ric Keller, ph: (202) 225-2176, fax: (202) 225-0999

(Please note: email may be rejected if you are not a constituent.)

Ask for the staff member in charge of higher education and leave a  
voice mail if necessary. Call back later to speak with a staff member.

3. Call and/or e-mail your institution’s Congressional representative  
and deliver the same strong message. (Find your representative’s  
contact information at <www.house.gov>)

4. Call additional sponsors of the bill and deliver the same strong  
message. (Rep. Rob Bishop, Utah’s 1st; Rep. Charles W. Boustany, Jr.,  
Louisiana’s 7th; Rep. David Davis, Tennessee’s 1st; Rep. Luis  
Fortuno, Puerto Rico; Rep. John Kline, Minnesota’s 2nd; Rep. Mark E.  
Souder, Indiana’s 3rd; and Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina’s 2nd).

For copies of the relevant legislative language, talking points, and  
template responses for your use, please see <http://www.educause.edu/ 
p2pfs>.

Thank you for your help!

Mark Luker
Vice President
EDUCAUSE

**************************************************
EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance  
higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information  
technology.
The current membership comprises more than 2,100 colleges,  
universities, and educational organizations, including 200  
corporations, with 16,500 active members. EDUCAUSE has offices in  
Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, D.C. Learn more at http:// 
www.educause.edu


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