Interesting Policy Reads: Legislation to Bridge the Digital Divide in Higher Education, Intellectual Property and COVID-19, and Contact Tracing Privacy Concerns

Authors:: Katie Branson
Published:: Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Columns:: Policy

min read

This post includes articles regarding student challenges related to internet accessibility in the COVID era, a bill that would provide funding for institutions to support unserved and underserved students, intellectual property questions associated with the increased availability of online course content, and privacy concerns around contract tracing data.

With our "Interesting Policy 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.

Reserved: Internet Parking, Inside Higher Ed, May 8, 2020. (For many unserved and underserved college students, the lack of broadband access has created an obstacle to maintaining academic progress.)
House Democrats Want $5.5. Billion for Pandemic Broadband Funding, The Verge, May 12, 2020. (The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions [HEROES] Act would provide $5.5 billion to bolster broadband access to close the digital divide; however, the Democratic bill is dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled Senate.)
Democrats Introduce Legislation to Ensure Internet Access for College Students, The Hill, May 13, 2020. (Lawmakers introduced the Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act, a bill that would provide $1 billion in funding for colleges and universities to meet the needs of students who lack access to broadband, an internet-connected device, or both.)
Coronavirus to Force California Public Universities Largely Online for Fall, The Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2020. (As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact communities across the country, the California State University System announced it would hold most classes online for the fall semester.)
Senate and House Democrats Introduce COVID-19 Privacy Bill Targeting Contact Tracing Apps, Morning Consult, May 14, 2020. (Democratic lawmakers introduced the Public Health Emergency Privacy Act to ensure that data collected for contact tracing purposes isn't used for reasons other than for tracking the spread of the coronavirus.)
IP Problems, Inside Higher Ed, May 19, 2020. (The coronavirus pandemic has forced professors to put more of their course materials and lecture content online, and intellectual property [IP] experts are urging professors to demand that institutions affirm faculty IP rights.)
The FCC Has Received Hundreds of Complaints About Carriers' Coronavirus Pledge, The Verge, May 19, 2020. (The Federal Communications Commission [FCC] has received around 500 complaints related to the FCC's Keep Americans Connected pledge, under which telecommunications carriers promised not to terminate service for residential or small businesses that are unable to pay their bills due to the pandemic.)
Does Anthony Fauci Think Colleges Should Reopen? We Asked Him., The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 22, 2020. (Dr. Anthony Fauci discussed the complexities associated with the fall semester and campus operations in the COVID era.)

EDUCAUSE will continue to monitor higher education and technology-related issues during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. For additional resources, please visit the EDUCAUSE COVID-19 web page.

For more information about policy issues impacting higher education IT, please visit the EDUCAUSE Review Policy Spotlight blog as well as the EDUCAUSE Policy web page.

Kathryn Branson is a Senior Associate with Ulman Public Policy.