

Wisconsin may force colleges to buy private Internet, withdraw from Internet2 - woodrow
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/plan-would-force-u-of-wisconsin-to-return-39-million-in-u-s-broadband-grants/31618

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wccrawford
"Bill Esbeck, executive director of the Wisconsin State Telecommunications
Association, was quoted on Channel3000 saying that WiscNet should be allowed
to run only without financial support from the University of Wisconsin."

This man speaks sense. Why throw away all the money already invested in this?
I can only imagine that someone has a stake in the other internet service
providers in the area and wants to increase their profits.

As for the $39million in grants... Taking them back after granting them is
playing foul. Especially as they've apparently already spent some of the
money. How are they supposed to trust grants when they can be pulled out from
under them at any time? It's going to lead to stupidity like putting grants in
the bank until they're sure the grant won't be stolen back, instead of using
the grant to improve education.

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derobert
I think you've misread the part about the grants. Its not that they're being
taken back, its that the state law would prohibit the state university from
undertaking the actions the federal grants are for. Since the university can't
undertake the actions the money was given for, it must return the money. Any
money already spent towards the grant goals would, I suspect, need not be
returned.

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hsmyers
This state continues to follow the Ned Ludd (Luddite) model, I can only hope
that they all meet the same result.

