National parks balancing demands for cell service, silence

[Community Alumni]

National parks balancing demands for cell service, silence

[time2roll]

Starlink provided by SpaceX could soon make the debate rather moot.

[Mike134]

Up till 1990 folks managed quite nicely without cell phones in the national parks.
If your worried about an emergency or staying "in touch" STAY HOME!

[Veebyes]

I am all for connectivity in CGs & visitor centers however for the rest of the parks, leave them be.

As a ham radio operator I have had the ability to make phone calls from my car or using a hand held radio since the early 80s, long before cell phones or internet, so I like tech stuff to a degree.

I also like being disconnected. We live in a sorry connected world now where the cellphone is no better than a drug. There is an obsession to be connected at all times. Even here on these forums, look at how many posts there are from people very concerned about cell service during an Alaskan trip.

Any day look at all of the pitiful people who cannot leave their homes without cellphones protectively in hand.

[Keyholder]

Disconnecting the national parks to the outside world will serve its purpose to people, which is to simply be with nature. Absolutely, hard for those who love real-time capture of their moments. But, I guess this is more beneficial to both humans and nature.

[pnichols]

mjbenedict wrote:
All of this technology is making society soft. Our kids need to experience the disconnect, some adults do too.

FYI, I'm an Electrical Engineer that does automation and feel this way. I'm well versed in technology, not above watching movies and downloading them to watch in my RV. Just sometimes like to visit places with no connectivity.

Imagine having to plan meeting people for a get-together, missing them but hooking up with some others for some spontaneous fun. They will never have this experience.

Well stated - my feelings too!

I'm also an EE and pretty much understand what's going on in the world of electronic gadgets, and ... I don't like some of what I see. IMHO, some of it will not be beneficial to mankind in the long run.

Sometimes I think that some engineers and inventors have too much time on their hands ... or maybe it's that investors in gadgets have too much greed in their hearts.

[mjbenedict]

All of this technology is making society soft. Our kids need to experience the disconnect, some adults do too.

FYI, I'm an Electrical Engineer that does automation and feel this way. I'm well versed in technology, not above watching movies and downloading them to watch in my RV. Just sometimes like to visit places with no connectivity.

Imagine having to plan meeting people for a get-together, missing them but hooking up with some others for some spontaneous fun. They will never have this experience.

[pnichols]

All the above concerns of cell towers in natural settings will begin to be a non-issue soon. As I understand it, extensive low-orbit satellite systems are being put into place that will enable covering of the whole world with fast broadband Internet service such that ground based tower and cable systems will gradually become obsolete.

For me personally ... I'm old school enough to prefer paper maps, compasses, satellite based navigation electronics, citizen band walkie-talkies, cameras with lenses that move in and out, and ... phone booths.

I like getting outside my stick-house with our RV to still be "somewhat of an adventure" - in that a little bit of planning and work should be required to do it before getting rewarded with cell-tower-less natural beauty and serenity. :C

[BarabooBob]

I would rather go without having cell service than have to look at a cell tower on the top of every mountain and a slash up the side of the mountain for the power lines to operate the tower. Natural beauty should beat convenience within the parks. I can see cell service at the campgrounds and visitor centers but they already have power to those locations and could connect the towers using fiber optic cables to the rest of the world.

[chiefneon]

Howdy!

I saw a problem with NPS cellular service a couple of years ago when we visited Yellowstone NP. They want you to use a app to navigate the park as to when the geysers would erupt. Only problem was the parks cellular service was sim to none.

“Happy Trails”
Chiefneon

[K_Charles]

Why would they want to put cell service out in nature when they don't have it down town. Living between Hartford and providence we only have it in one room by the window. Some people don't have any cell service.

[Yosemite_Sam1]

I'm for having connectively on campsites.

But not in saturating the whole park or designated wilderness area with electronic signals.

[gbopp]

The bad news is, even if there is no cell service the camera will still work.
The idiots can still destroy themselves by taking selfies while doing handstands on the edge of a crumbling cliff.

[wildtoad]

If you want to see nature at it’s best, if you want places where you can see all the stars, If you want to go where a animal such as a moose will peek inside your MH, plan on being out of touch, or not being able to post a picture of what you ate for dinner. Yes I know, I want access to the internet via WIFI where ever I go too. But perhaps it’s not a good thing.

[Lwiddis]

Interesting subject. Balancing the pros and cons of electronics but Congress seems to want connectivity.