Should national parks have extensive cellular service?

5 Comments

  • John Lison - 11 years ago

    I've volunteered at 5 National Parks and /or Monuments and 1 Fish and Wildlife site. I'm one of those people who get trained to and do give talks to visitors. I don't think cell phones would replace interpretive rangers particularly with kids. Most everybody likes Rangers and appreciates what they have to offer. Parks have to change with the times and cell phone service is a simple (although expensive) change. I doubt Congress would give the NPS the money to do this but it would be a really good change.

  • Jelane A. Kennedy - 11 years ago

    I very much value the time I have spent with Ranger and other educational people while visiting the parks. Although the print materials available in displays has been valuable, experiencing the park with someone who loves and knows the park takes it all to a new level. We plan our trips around how many Ranger talks and hikes we can be involved in. Digital material is really only supplemental and a poor excuse for real people.

    Although having cell phone and wifi does help provide a sense of safety it can also give people the sense of unrealistic safety where they take chances with how prepared the are to be in the wild. This will need to be a balancing act that is well monitored. It will need to be regulated. I have spent too many nights at State and private campgrounds hearing conversations that I did not need to hear from people who have no idea how to use their devices privately.

  • Mike Astley - 11 years ago

    Three reasons to do it: safety, making reservations for campgrounds, and self-guided touring/information.

    However having a loud, chatty person on a cell phone at a scenic or historic spot is not needed, and so signage of "no cell phone zones" would be needed just as movies request you to mute your cell. Usage at campsites and main drives & parking areas would be fine.

    I have long felt that a technological auto-mute is needed for cell phones..just as you can walk through a museum and the audio feed changes as you enter an area, the auto-mute would shut off reception of a cell phone as long as you were in that immediate area.

  • Dean - 11 years ago

    Cell service can mean enhanced safety to park visitors and rangers/responders.
    As a result less cost to taxpayers and society.
    It is possible to use the off function of any device!
    Dean

  • Jerry Bentley - 11 years ago

    having worked and livied in a National Park I can tell you first hand that not having cell phone service is a large handy cap you have no internet service no phone service. Oh yes you can get a hard wired phoe but intodays world we are not set up for hard wired phones and it is an added expense and a large inconvenence. The area were I lived was the only habited area without cell service.

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