Two University of Iowa students are taking action against the so-called “Internet bill” recently approved by the Iowa Legislature and now awaiting Gov. Branstad’s signature.

Joseph R. Gordon, a U of I freshman in civil engineering, and David Alber, a U of I junior in biology and computer science, created a Web page designed to allow students to petition the bill. The bill, if signed, would prohibit remote dial-up access through the Iowa Communications Network, Iowa State’s Internet provider.

“We felt there was a need to let the governor know we’re opposed to the bill,” Alber said.

Carol Bradley, ISU’s director of governmental relations, said the governor received the bill on Monday morning and has three days to sign or veto it. His decision is expected by Thursday.

The students’ Web page displays the statement of their petition and shows the form for adding names to the petition. For a name to be added, the requested information must be e-mailed to Alber.

Alber has been sending the signatures to the governor constantly, he said. About 700 people have signed the petition, less than what Alber said he was hoping would participate.

“We’ve gotten less than we thought. The people we’ve talked to have shown a lot of interest in saving the service, but we’ve had a lack of turnout,” Alber said.

The petition states the “undersigned students, faculty and staff affiliated with the three state universities are opposed to Senate File 519.”

The petition also lists three ways the bill will have a negative impact, which includes the quality of education at the three universities, possible discrimination against off-campus students and overflowing computer labs.

Gordon and Alber have started a chain letter to “spread the word” about the petition. The letter has been sent to each of the three regent universities.

Hopefully, Alber said, the petition will influence Branstad. “I think a lot of people have been calling and writing him about it,” he said.

The Web page with the petition and links to other informational sites is located at http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~dmalber/petition.html.