EDUCAUSE Policy: Interesting Reads

With our "Interesting Reads" blog posts, the EDUCAUSE Policy Office highlights recent articles on federal policy issues and developments that are directly relevant to members or provide insights on higher education policy in general.

• Oregon finalizes net neutrality law despite likelihood that ISPs will sue, Ars Technica, April 9, 2018. (Oregon has become the second state to pass a state net neutrality law since the FCC voted to repeal the nationwide regulatory framework.)
• Blended is Best, Inside Higher Ed, April 12, 2018. (A new report produced by the Arizona State University Foundation and the Boston Consulting Group finds that online learning strategies can provide both students and institutions with real benefits.)
• Congressional Hearing Focuses on Espionage, Inside Higher Ed, April 12, 2018.(Two subcommittees of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing Wednesday examining U.S. academic institutions' exposure to foreign espionage activities and intellectual property theft.)
• Reducing 'distance' is key to online learner success, Education Dive, April 13, 2018. (Faculty from the University of Central Florida argue that schools must commit to providing increased support for the online learning process in order to improve outcomes for distance education students.)
• Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer pleads guilty in three states, agrees to testify against other website officials, The Washington Post, April 13, 2018. (Carl Ferrer, Backpage.com CEO, pleaded guilty to multiple charges after the website has been accused of hosting child sex trafficking ads on its site.His guilty plea comes after President Trump signed the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) into law, a measure that effectively removes a liability safe harbor for websites that host prostitution ads.)

Kathryn Branson is an associate with Ulman Public Policy.