$ 7 Billion Cost with FCC Compliance

This morning's New York Times had a very interesting article regard a 1994 law that requires certain standards at colleges and universities to allow the Federal Government to monitor electronic communications made by students and faculty. The real problem is not necessarily the intrusive nature of the required compliance, but rather the associated cost, which will degrade the quality of education in a system that is already serious under funded.

The 1994 the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, in essence requires school communication engineers to rewire their systems to allow electronic (phone and internet) monitoring to be much easier for the Federal Government. While this may seem intrusive, due to the required court warrants, civil liberties are not really at stake.

Many schools, especially public schools, are going to find it expensive to meet the requirements. The $7 Billion figure offered by the New York Times doesn't include upkeep or installation. What is needed is some form of grant or aid to reimburse schools for associated cost. If the Federal Government is truly concerned with national security they will realize that 1. Having a well educated population is vital and that 2. Schools are far more likely to comply if they receive funding which allows them to do so.

I highly recommend you read the article.

(http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/23/technology/23college.html?hp)