Do Wi-Fi and Cell Service Belong In Our National Parks?

Above, the best cell and Wi-Fi service I found in Yosemite was at the former Ahwahnee Hotel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last year, I camped for a few days in Yosemite Valley at the North Pines Campground. While there, I noticed that cell service was spotty at best and no Wi-Fi. My cell phone was useless at the campground. The campground does have a pay phone booth.

The only place where I found usable cell service and Wi-Fi was at the Ahwahnee Hotel (now known as the Majestic due to the lawsuit with Delaware North).

Above, Wi-Fi and cell service were virtually nil at Yosemite's North Pines Campground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Motherboard has an article that asks the question, "Do Wi-Fi and Cell Service Belong In Our National Parks?"

Of the two, I am on the side of cell service. With a reliable cell service in a national park, emergency calls can be sent and received. People can do without their laptops and tablets for a while, so I don't think that Wi-Fi is necessary.

Motherboard begins their article with:

Yellowstone National Park wants to go 4G, and environmentalists aren’t happy. 

On a road trip through Yosemite National Park, I once stopped at a particularly beautiful waterfall. Two dozen onlookers were already there; most Vine-ing, 'gramming, tweeting, or texting shots of the vista. Mildly distracted, I filmed some videos, and left. To this day, that remains my most vivid memory of California's most iconic national park. 

Plenty of people experience nature through a lens. So it's no surprise that Yellowstone National Park wants to expand cellular and Wi-Fi coverage throughout some of its 2.2 million acres. It would require serious infrastructure changes, including two new cellular towers at scenic points, and a bulky antennae platform on historic Mount Washburn.

To read more, go here.