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Since the 1980s, when a deregulatory climate emerged in Washington D.C., American media companies have launched consolidation efforts to buy up smaller competitors to expand market share, taken control of national and local television stations, and merged with telecommunications companies to acquire a share of the nation’s Internet market. The proposed $45.2 billion merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable, which would combine the nation’s top two cable companies, both of which also provide Internet access, has alarmed consumer advocates that worry it will harm consumers through higher prices and selective access to content. The principle of net neutrality, whereby all Internet content is treated equally by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), was established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2010 to ensure that large media conglomerates could not prejudice certain forms of Internet content over others. However, in January a federal appeals court ruled that the FCC had no statutory (lawful) authority to enact those net neutrality rules based on the way that it has classified ISPs. A recent deal that Netflix, a streaming and DVD-based movie distribution service, made with Comcast is seen by consumer watchdog groups as the beginning of a “pay-to-play” Internet where content distributors will be forced to pay ISPs to access their networks or acquire satisfactory Internet speed so that they do not lose existing customers.
Science and technology issues emerge occasionally in domestic social rounds and they often constitute a separate round at the NFL National Tournament for United States extempers. As a result, net neutrality is an issue that extempers should be aware of because of its economic implications for the Internet and political potential. This topic brief will explain the concept of net neutrality and the recent events surrounding the issue, why supporters of net neutrality believe that it is essential for a open Internet and what they want the FCC to do about it, and why there are opponents of net neutrality.
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The Ohio High School Speech League’s 2014 State Tournament saw the return of a former champion to the winner’s circle last weekend when Abhishek Bhargava, a former NFL National Tournament semi-finalist in International Extemp and MBA participant, recaptured the state International Extemp championship from Eric Wang of Solon High School. Bhargava took this year’s state title from Wang, the defending champion, by seven ranks in the final round. Bhargava’s victory is the fourth time in six years that a member of the Bhargava family has won the Ohio International Extemp title, as his brother Rohan, a former NFL finalist in International Extemp, won the title in 2009 and 2010.
The Florida Forensic League (FFL) held its 2014 state tournament last weekend at the University School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and two new extemporaneous speaking state champions were crowned. In a battle of Barkley Forum finalists in International Extemp, Cameron James Bonnewell of Lake Highland Preparatory captured his first state title by two ranks over Isabella Paretti of Cypress Bay High School. Paretti won the tournament final round, but her margin of victory there was not enough to overcome Bonnewell’s lead from the previous six rounds of the tournament. Bonnewell’s victory marks the first time since 2011 that Lake Highland Preparatory has won International Extemp at the FFL State Tournament.
Nida Ansari of Riverside High School returned to the winner’s circle at last week’s 2014 South Carolina Forensic Coaches Association (SCFCA) State Tournament when she won her second state championship in extemporaneous speaking. Ansari, who won the 2012 United States Extemp state title (South Carolina discontinued splitting IX and USX last year), won the cumulative tournament by three ranks over teammate Yasmin Meyer. Meyer won the final round, but she only won the final round by one rank, which was not enough to cut into the lead Ansari built throughout the tournament. Harrison Stall of Southside High School, who was the defending champion, finished third. The spring semester has been a good one for Ansari, as she adds this year’s state title to a successful defense of her Laird Lewis Invitational championship and a runner-up finish at the Barkley Forum.
The North Carolina Tarheel Forensic League (TFL) held its 2014 state championship tournament last weekend at Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Jacob McHugh of Ardrey Kell edged two-time defending champion Mark Cohen of Durham Academy by one rank in the final round to capture his first state championship. McHugh earned two first place ranks in the fnal round versus one earned by Cohen and his victory ends Durham Academy’s four-year winning streak in extemporaneous speaking at the state tournament. Cohen was aiming to become the first three-time state champion in North Carolina history. Elizabeth Kingaby of Central Cabarrus High School, who took fourth at the Barkley Forum in January, placed third. Despite having their winning streak at the state tournament ended, Durham Academy still placed more elimination round participants (6) than any school and had three finalists.
On February 22nd, Florentine mayor and Democratic Party (DP) leader Matteo Renzi became the youngest Italian prime minister. Renzi, who is thirty-nine years old, has promised a series of reforms to shake up Italy’s dysfunctional political and economic culture. While never holding office on a national scale, Renzi believes that he can use his first 100 days in office to get Italy moving again and restore it to its proper place as one of the major powers on the European continent. However, old political and economic habits die hard and political observers, which include some of those in Renzi’s own party, feel that he is all flash and no substance. Considering the fact that Italy is the third largest economy in the eurozone and that its economy has not fared well over the last two decades, Renzi comes at a crucial time in Italian history. A successful administration could put Italy back on the road to economic growth and a more stable political system, but a failure could dishearten the Italian population and lead to populist leaders taking power from either the political left or the right.
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