AirTalk debates a new state bill that would implement stricter regulations to preserve net neutrality than the Obama administration’s rules. We also dive into whether standardized tests like the SAT and ACT can be valuable indicators of future success in college; review this week’s movie releases on FilmWeek; and more.
California takes on the federal government again – this time it’s over net neutrality
California State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and several other senators and assembly members introduced a comprehensive Net Neutrality bill on Wednesday to prohibit internet access providers from blocking or throttling websites and online services that prioritize access to certain sites over others.
If passed, this could create a regime stricter than the Obama-era rules of discriminating against content.
Wiener’s bill is the latest move by state and local officials to create their own net neutrality rules in the absence of federal regulations. It would ban broadband providers from exempting certain content from data limits, a concept known as “zero rating.” Some companies would no longer be allowed to exempt some of their services from certain customers.
Guests:
Ernesto Falcon, legislative counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based non-profit digital rights group; he tweets
Steve Effros, former attorney-advisor at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 1971 through 1975, and cable industry analyst and lawyer based in Virginia; he was the president of Cable Telecommunications Association, an industry trade association
March Madness: bracket-busting upsets and more talks on changing ‘one-and-done’
Amid an FBI corruption investigation, a Pac-12 task force has put forth a sweeping set of college basketball recommendations.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the 50-page proposal includes and end to the one-and-done rule, which was implemented by the NBA in 2005. The rule prohibits players from joining the league until the age of 19, or requires them to wait until one year after their high school graduation.
Under the new guidelines, athletes would keep the option to attend college but would not be eligible for another draft until after their third season on campus. This would push the NBA to accept players out of high school, and for those who do choose to attend college, postpone recruitment to enable athletes to invest in school and take classes more seriously.
Last month, Yahoo! Sports reported on a number of NCAA players who allegedly took money from a defunct sports agency and more than 20 of the top basketball programs in the country in violation of NCAA rules.
The NBA and its players haven’t typically been on-board to change the one-and-done rule, but the recent scandals may change that. We get the latest from two reporters following the story.
Guests:
Kyle Bonagura, staff writer for ESPN covering the Pac-12; he tweets
David Wharton, sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times who has been following the story; he tweets
Tis the season for the SAT: are standardized tests a good indicator of success?
Some educators continually make claims for what standardized tests can do.
There is a popular assumption about what we can learn about a student from these tests and what the scores mean.
But can these claims be challenged. Two psychology professors from the University of Minnesota published research findings that say SAT and ACT can provide an invaluable measure of how students are likely to perform in college and beyond. The researchers argue that some myths that have developed around these tests stand in the way of a thoughtful discussion of their role and importance.
Meanwhile, standardized tests have come under attack in recent years. More than 1,000 accredited bachelor-degree-granting institutions will make admissions decisions about many applicants without regard to ACT or SAT scores, according to Robert Schaeffer, public education director at the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. Schaeffer says that more than 100 schools have dropped admissions exam requirements in the past four years alone.
With more people debating the merits of these tests, we take a deeper look into their value and question how effective they are.
Guests:
Robert Schaeffer, public education director at the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, a nonprofit based in Massachusetts that advocates to reform testing practices.
Nathan Kuncel, professor of industrial-organizational psychology at the University of Minnesota who published the research
FilmWeek: ‘Tomb Raider,’ ‘Love, Simon,’ ‘7 Days in Entebbe’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Christy Lemire and Tim Cogshell review this weekend’s new movie releases.
"Tomb Raider" in wide release
"Love, Simon" in wide release
"7 Days in Entebbe" in select theaters (check your local listings)
"Itzhak" at Laemmle's Playhouse, Laemmle's Royal & Laemmle's Town Center
"Allure" at Arena Cinelounge Sunset
"Ramen Heads" at Nuart Theatre
"Flower" at ArcLight Hollywood
"The Happys" at Laemmle's NoHo
"Journey's End" at The Landmark Theatre
"Josie" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
"Benji" streaming on Netflix
Critics' Hits
Christy: "Love, Simon," "Journey's End" & "Ramen Heads"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0cbWdlQg_8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLpyaLNfudY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3E9MGOK4LY&t=1s
Tim: "Itzhak" & "Josie"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP439G8MQHo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3_c-aSZF5M
Mixed Feelings
Christy: "Tomb Raider"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KkhD0MnaJU
Tim: "Flower"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN8zm6lAyNA
Misses
Christy: "Allure"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5AzIdfdJ_g
Tim: "7 Days in Entebbe"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuTBea8_-LY
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC, RogerEbert.com and co-host of YouTube’s “What the Flick?”; she tweets
The potential unforeseen consequences of Hollywood’s new buzz concept: ‘inclusion riders’
One of the most notable moments at this year’s 90th annual Academy Awards came when Best Actress winner Frances McDormand ended her acceptance speech with two words: “inclusion rider.”
Her mention of the then-largely unknown contract stipulation (check out AirTalk’s primer on inclusion riders if you need a refresher) ignited a new conversation surrounding inclusion in Hollywood. Many in the industry – including big names like Pearl Street Films, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s production company – jumped on board to say they’d be adopting inclusion riders in the future.
But in a recent piece for The Hollywood Reporter, senior editor Eriq Gardner addresses inclusion riders’ potential to hurt the equality and inclusion movement that has taken over Hollywood. He states that while there has been a lot of talk about using these contract stipulations, there hasn’t been much said about how they will actually work once applied. Many of the same contracts that would have an inclusion rider, he says, also have arbitration or confidentiality clauses, which could lead to diversity problems being covered up. He believes that Hollywood should consider removing some of the secrecy mechanisms that have perpetuated homogeneity and gender disparity in pay rather than simply adding more contract language.
Larry sits down with Eriq to discuss his piece in-depth.
Guest:
Eriq Gardner, senior editor for for The Hollywood Reporter, where he writes for THR's legal blog, THR, Esq.; his piece for THR is ‘Why Hollywood's 'Inclusion Rider' Mania Could Hurt the Equality Cause’; he tweets
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets @CinemaInMind
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC, RogerEbert.com and co-host of YouTube’s “What the Flick?”; she tweets