YNP bandwidth controversy

agesilaus wrote:
.............I doubt that this will cost the park service anything, the cell phone companies are probably willing to put up a tower.

From the linked article in the original post: "Louisiana-based CenturyLink has not submitted a formal application on the Yellowstone proposal, according to park officials and company spokeswoman Michelle Jackson. For the project to make economic sense in such a remote area, Jackson said, the company has asked for most costs to be covered by the Park Service and companies that would benefit from the line, including Verizon, Union Wireless and park concessionaires."

:):)

Whatever happened to taking pictures with a compact digital camera, off-loading them onto a laptop "sometime later", and then attaching them (with a downsized pixel count for fast transmission) to an email that can be sent over a slow Internet connection?

We do this all the time when traveling. Sometimes we even make the pictures prettier or a different size using Photoshop on our laptop before we email them from our RV over the Verizon 3G network. We have a cellular antenna on the RV roof and a battery powered cellular amplifier inside the RV so we can connect to Verizon 3G towers even places where our cell phones normally show only one or no bars ... like places in Yellowstone, or Western Utah, or the Oregon Outback.

(Boy, are we getting lazy in the U.S. ... or is it new-gadget-happy?)

The NPS is already badly short of funds for routine maintenance of roads, drainage, guardrails, CAMPGROUNDS, etc. To use any of that money to improve services which are not truly essential to visiting the parks seems sad.

Make ALL of the backlogged repairs (including the segments of roads that were melted by geothermal heat last Fall) first. Then if there is any money left over work on 4G.

If the towers were done tastefully I see no problem with it.

Going to Yellowstone is something that I would love to do but is not very feasible due to amount of time it would take away from work just to drive there, and back. It would be hard pressed to have enough vacation days to spend at the park.

But with my job I can work remotely, so if there was good enough internet on the cell phone I could use vacation time to drive there, and still get my work done during the day while my family gets to enjoy the park. (and at 1 pm I get to go enjoy it too).

We don't need no METAL TREES. Enjoy the park for what it has to offer. Parenting has gone astray and the Electronic craze is way over board as a baby sitter, or kid sitter.
Now enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer.

I can't say that I much miss connectivity when we are camping. But on the other hand I don't begrudge other people from having it. And my wife is usually taking a college class and needs access for that reason. I doubt that this will cost the park service anything, the cell phone companies are probably willing to put up a tower.

I can't think of a reason to change the current situation. Yes, it is well behind the current technology, but the visit is worth the time. I don't think that they need to upgrade the service so as attract more visitors. The only problem is that a cell phone's battery will go down quickly as the poor thing keeps shouting at high power to see if any body (tower) can hear it. So, turn it off or leave it on a charger.

As we left Yellowstone and they rolled up Fishing Bridge right behind us, I was still waiting for some e-mail to come in. Most of our time there, I had phone access and maybe 3G. The day that we were in Mammoth, I did have 4G and used it to run the PITA updates on my phone while we watch the elk herd move through town. (That was a sight!)

If you absolutely have to be on wire all the time get a room and stay in Mammoth. Or get a satellite system. You will miss a lot of terrific stuff and maybe never get stuck in a Bison-Jam.

Matt

Well here's a novel concept.....if you NEED 24x7 access to the internet regardless of where on the planet you are, provide it for yourself with the technology that's available right now.

As far as i'm concerned, the NP staff and concessionaires should have all the bandwidth and technology they need to allow them to effectively manage the parks resources and run the businesses that are allowed inside the parks. Providing high-speed internet access to the visitors is unnecessary, and a waste of tax dollars.

:):)

mobeewan wrote:
And I perceive I need more use than you so you and don't need anyone to worry about what I will miss. Keep to your fine balance and I will do my own balancing thank you. Nanny, Nanny, Nanny.

Nopeeeeeeee.
I'm not your grandmother but do hope you find her soon.

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