Washington - A bipartisan group of House lawmakers this week sent letters to the heads of 19 universities, that included a detailed survey asking them to relate how they protect against the use of their campus networks for illegal downloading, Inside Higher Education reported.

"Universities have a moral and legal obligation to ensure students do not use campus computers for illegal downloading," said Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), the senior Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.

"There is bipartisan agreement that if we do not receive acceptable answers, Congress will be forced to act."

Joining Smith in authoring the letters were a group of both Democrats and Republicans on judicial and educational committees in the House.

The survey requests information on how the schools educate students on the "acceptable use" of campus networks; how they respond to copyright infringement notices from rights holders; what technologies they use to inhibit file-sharing; and how they promote alternative, legitimate media services.

The Congressional action comes as the recording industry has launched a new tactic in its legal battle against file-sharing, sending "pre-litigation" letters to universities that seek to identify suspected downloaders and offer them discounted settlements.

Several schools have challenged the tactics, with the University of Wisconsin telling the RIAA it won't act without a subpoena, while the University of Nebraska at Lincoln said it only keeps computer records for a finite period.

Both schools were among recipients of the letters and surveys.

Related Links:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/05/03/download

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117964133.html