We have long known that federal officials can be indifferent to the impact of government regulation on institutions of higher education. But even so, the implications of a recent decision by the Federal Communications Commission are breathtaking.
The problem stems from a relatively obscure federal statute called the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, or Calea, and a decision by the FCC to expand the coverage of this law to the Internet and to “private networks” like those run on campus.