Teaching for the Future: TftF 84: Financial Aid Shake Down/Give Away Your OLPC

Financial Aid Shake Down: How the US Congress is trying to take away your child's financial aid.

LINKS:
Boing Boing
Hugh McGuire
News.com

Democrats in the Congress have introduced a bill that will force colleges and universities to crack down on file sharing. The bill introduces stiff penalties on colleges who do not fight file sharing in two ways. By reducing federal financial aid and by push schools to subsidize student accounts to music subscription services. Some equate these penalties to pork-barrel legislation designed to help Record Companies to stay in the black. ( HughMcGuire.net) More likely this is a sign of the times and more evidence that the RIAA is loosing direction.

Co-authors of the new legislation:

Representative George Miller of California
Representative Ruben Hinojosa of Texas

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

I think that this law is overtly classist. It's obvious that the MPAA/RIAA are angry. They're pissed off and want to hit students where it hurts, in their financial aid. It's too hard and costs too much to target/litigate each file-sharer, so targeting schools would put the accountability on universities to enforce MPAA/RIAA policy. By penalizing financial aid benefits, this law would almost completely target low income students. If aid is cut, it will be those students who can't afford school on their own who will be affected the most. Which is unfair because students from all socio-economic classes are file sharing. Part of me thinks it is easier to target poor students because they have less resources and capital to fight back, but I think it has more to do with a lack of forethought.

From News.com: "The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) applauded the proposal"... "We very much support the language in the bill, which requires universities to provide evidence that they have a plan for implementing a technology to address illegal file sharing," said Angela Martinez, a spokeswoman for the MPAA."

So instead of trying to find a way to change they way they do business, record companies are trying to legislate their way back on track. I understand that file sharing is illegal, but I don't understand why record companies want to attack low income students. This is like docking pay checks to the mailroom because the CEO was found guilty of a crime. It's sad that our legislators are more willing to fight for the lumbering giants of the record industry over kids who are trying to earn a degree.

For REP. GEORGE MILLER OF CALIFORNIA:

George.Miller@mail.house.gov
1333 Willow Pass Road
Suite 203
Concord, CA 94520
(925) 602-1880
Fax: (925)674-0983

3220 Blume Drive
Suite 281
Richmond, CA 94806
(510) 262-6500
Fax: (510) 222-1306

For REP. RUBEN HINOJOSA OF TEXAS:
U.S. House of Representatives

2463 RayburnHouse Office Building
Washington, D.C . 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2531
Fax: (202)225-5688

Edinburg Office
2864 West Trenton Road
Edinburg, TX 78539
Phone: (956) 682-5545
Fax: (956) 682-0141

Beeville Office
107 South St. Mary's Street
Beeville, Texas 78102
Phone: (361) 358-8400
Fax: (361) 358-8407

For SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID:
Bruce R. Thompson
Courthouse & Federal Bldg
400 S. Virginia St, Suite 902
Reno, NV 89501
Phone: 775-686-5750
Fax: 775-686-5757

Lloyd D. George Building
333 Las Vegas Boulevard
South, Suite 8016
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: 702-388-5020
Fax: 702-388-5030

600 East William St, #302
Carson City, NV 89701
Phone: 775-882-REID (7343)
Fax: 775-883-1980

Washington, DC
528 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3542
Fax: 202-224-7327
Toll Free for Nevadans:
1-866-SEN-REID (736-7343)

BUY 2 DONATE 2: Why you don't need to buy an OLPC to your computer collection

LINKS:
OLPC Twitter Feed: http://twitter.com/olpc
Give One Get One Campaign: http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/index.php

This is the bulk of the show, but I don't have the energy to write it all up. I hope you forgive me.

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Tags: Dave LaMorte, teaching for the future, technology, education, podcast, teaching, financial aid podcast, media literacy, visual literacy, new media literacy

Labels: dave lamorte, education, financial aid podcast, media literacy, new media literacy, podcast, social activisim, teaching, technology