Mississippi State University would be financially drained if it complied with the wishes of the Federal Communications Commission.
The FCC said universities must comply with the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), which would require MSU to install equipment on its broadband Internet provider to make wiretaps easier.
MSU’s ITS systems director Tim Griffin said we couldn’t afford to do this with a network of our size. Previously, the mandated equipment has been installed by big companies with plenty of money. That’s a far cry from the capabilities of MSU.
Government regulations should be sensitive to the financial statuses of universities. This requirement by the FCC shows the side effect of a poorly constructed law. If the government expects us to install this equipment, it should at least provide us with a grant.
The proposed idea is not only financially impossible, but useless. It would stifle opportunities for MSU to buy technology that would actually benefit the university.
Also, activist teachers in other universities are nervous about what this law could do to them. A college is much different than a business. An institution of education features a more broad range of ideas.
For a university to truly excel, it must be able to have an open forum. However, this requirement would make several people paranoid about certain controversial ideas. Learning would be lost, destroying the entire point of a university.
Plus, MSU has enough budget problems. We have construction everywhere on campus, most of it incomplete. Installing spy equipment would probably set us back a couple of years, and that’s being optimistic.
Overall, the FCC is wrong for its statements. The world isn’t going to be any safer with financially unstable universities. This requirement would take away the confidence to share ideas and the ability for MSU to provide students with what they need.
The Reflector editorial board is made up of opinion editor Jed Pressgrove, news editor Sara McAdory, assistant news editor Wade Patterson, sports editor Ross Dellenger, entertainment editor Tyler Stewart, managing editor Dustin Barnes and editor in chief Elizabeth Crisp.