New bill threatens to pull financial aid for colleges whose students download

The latest volley in the file sharing war seems designed to turn fellow students into copyright enforcement agents and punish innocent bystanders. According to CNET, a Democrat–sponsored bill would cut off all financial aid if universities did not agree to test "technology–based deterrents to prevent such illegal activity," all of their students –– even ones who don't own a computer –– would lose federal financial aid.

A number of universities including representatives from Yale, Stanford, Maryland and Penn responded:

Such an extraordinarily inappropriate and punitive outcome would result in all students on that campus losing their federal financial aid––including Pell grants and student loans that are essential to their ability to attend college, advance their education, and acquire the skills necessary to compete in the 21st–century economy.

Lower–income students, those most in need of federal financial aid, would be harmed most under the entertainment industry's proposal.

The proposal, which is embedded in a 747–page spending and financial aid bill, comes with the support of the MPAA.