Net Neutrality Picks Up Speed
Earlier this week, demonstrators protested at Google in Mountain View. They want the Internet to remain open, without access fees or censorship by Internet service providers. The concept is known as "net neutrality." The issue is heating up now because the FCC is again considering new rules for the Internet, and the public comment period ends July 15. The issue gained high speed momentum after comedian John Oliver highlighted it recently on his HBO show, "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver." It generated so many comments to the FCC that the agency's website crashed.
Guests:
• Laura Sydell, NPR
• Robert McMillan, Wired
• April Glaser, Electronic Frontier Foundation
150 Years of Yosemite
When President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act in 1864, he set aside the first public lands in the country for "use, resort and recreation." An exhibit opening June 30 at the California Historical Society examines the human stories that are part of Yosemite's history -- 150 years of beauty, exploration, environmentalism and even tragedy. Historian Dr. Anthea Hartig shares some of these stories with Scott Shafer.
Further Reporting:
• At 150, Yosemite's Roots Go Deep
Redwood Burl Poaching
Last week, a northern California man was convicted of felony vandalism and ordered to pay more than $11,000 for stealing part of a tree. He's the second person to be convicted this month of chopping burl off a redwood in a national park. Burls are knobby, bulbous growths often found near the base of the trunk, and are prized for their beautiful color and grain. One burl can sell for hundreds to thousands of dollars. But burls are also crucial to the long-term survival of redwood groves and their theft from park areas is illegal. From our partners at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, producer Sally Schilling looks at why this environmental crime is prompting alarm and a crackdown. (*Correction: We misspelled the name of the videographer in the production credits. The correct spelling is Courtney Quirin.)