By ERIK SCHELZIG

Associated Press Writer

NASHVILLE - Gov. Phil Bredesen insists he wasn't broadcasting mixed signals when he hosted a ceremony last week to re-sign a law clamping down on illegal music downloads at Tennessee colleges and universities.

The new law carries a projected startup cost of $9.5 million, and about $2 million each year after that to pay for 22 new jobs to monitor students' computer use. The ceremony came at a time when Bredesen has been wrestling with a growing state budget shortfall that could include layoffs of state employees.

"I'm not trying to send mixed messages here," Bredesen told reporters between budget hearings Wednesday. "I mean, we have a big government, and even if you had to cut things 10 percent, you still have 90 percent of everything you were doing out there."

The Democratic governor said he may have to revisit how many new jobs will be created by the measure, but emphasized that the bill was originally signed into law in April — long before the severity of the budget crunch had become clear.

The law calls for 21 new positions at Board of Regents schools and one new position within the University of Tennessee system to monitor network traffic for illegal downloads.

"I may need to slow down the Board of Regents' hiring that was in that budget, but I'm not going back and second-guessing the decisions that were made a year ago," Bredesen said.

Tennessee's higher education system has already had to cope with $100 million in budget cuts in the current fiscal year, and Bredesen has warned that deeper cuts are on tap for the budget year that begins in July.

The Nov. 12 ceremony at the state Capitol was held to coincide with the CMA Awards in Nashville, and the governor said the law was important to protect the interests of the music industry in Nashville and Memphis.

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