Colleges have deployed various tactics over the years to deter illegal file sharing, usually of commercial music and movies, by their students. This month, the U.S. Department of Education will begin crafting regulations that specify strategies, a prospect that is making some campus officials wonder if plans they have already invested in will pass muster. The new rules on anti-piracy policies will push colleges to rethink tactics against student pirates. The regulations will interpret three anti piracy provisions in the Higher Education Act renewed by Congress last year. The law requires colleges to: (1) inform students of institutional and criminal penalties for unauthorized file sharing; (2) "effectively combat" copyright violations with "a variety of technology-based deterrents;" and (3) offer alternatives to illegal downloading. The Recording Industry Association of America's mass lawsuits against students accused of violating copyrights industry and lobbying helped to shape the new law. Through years of Congressional hearings, music and movie executives have urged lawmakers to require technology to stop unauthorized file sharing, while colleges argue that content-monitoring software is problematic. With regulations yet unwritten, campus officials have two main concerns: that they may be required to police networks and buy music-service site licenses. Optimistic officials point to a Congressional report that accompanied the Higher Education Act that acknowledges colleges' need for flexibility. Requirements should become clear as the regulations take shape.