Red hot or in the red?

IU's reputation for Internet accessibility could be its bane, thanks to the Federal Communication Commission's rule mandating that all "facilities-based broadband Internet services" be updated to allow for more effective surveillance by the government. The FCC's rule will force IU and other American universities to update their systems to FBI-friendly standards, a process with an unfair price tag in the millions for large universities.\nIU and other institutions of higher education cannot afford such an extensive update, especially when students in American universities are not demonstrated threats to national security in the first place. \nAlthough it was implemented in August, the rule was just posted Oct. 13 on the Federal Register. According to one provision of the rule, all university networks, including IU's, must be changed so that the data usually sent from sender to recipient can simultaneously be sent to a central location for surveillance by the government by spring 2007. Changes cannot be executed with the click of a button, but instead require physical alterations to thousands of routers and switches that make IU's Internet services tick. The cost of materials and staff required for such a concentrated effort is staggering. \nIU just made the transition from Insite to Onestart in the last few years, an effort requiring a significant investment of time and money. This year, the State Assembly reduced IU's operating budget by $4.7 million, and current efforts to provide excellent technology on campus already demand a significant amount of University resources. The FCC's mandate is unfunded and will demand millions from a University already strapped for funds.\nThe drain on IU's resources doesn't end once the expensive changes have taken place, either. The new system requires 24-hour surveillance, potentially rerouting IU employees who now spend their time troubleshooting our already problematic network. IU will likely find it difficult to redistribute manpower and money to comply with the FCC's rule, but what choice do we have? \nDeadline for compliance with this rule is fast approaching -- we have a year and a half to complete the necessary changes. The FCC has said it will consider making allowances for colleges and universities. On the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act Web site, however, the record of responses to petitions requesting extensions or exceptions to other rules is not promising. Most have been denied. \nStudents at American universities, international students in particular, are already subject to surveillance. According to the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, the government reserves the right to monitor Internet communication and forces networks to make themselves available to surveillance. The FCC's rule puts CALEA into practice. But according to a recent New York Times article, the FBI has rarely requested wiretaps on university campuses. And, when wiretaps were requested, the FBI had no complaints about inability to retrieve necessary information. The mandate to update all university campuses to strict surveillance standards is overkill.\nThe danger posed by systems that aren't updated is hypothetical, but the price tag for IU is all too real. This mandate places a burden on universities too heavy to be justified by a purely potential benefit. IU-Bloomington should file a complaint for an extension, or better yet an exception. Meanwhile, we can only shoulder the heavy burden of the work that lies ahead.