Cell Towers on Public Lands

Cell phone towers have sprouted up in national parks across the country because the National Park Service lacks a coherent policy on cell coverage in park areas.  As a result, the incessant chirp of the cell phone can be heard in the wild backcountry as well as at iconic places like Old Faithful. 

 Few parks have adopted a plan for cell towers or wireless communication.   

 Nonetheless, the Park Service is moving ahead with an industry-sponsored initiative which would change the way many visitors experience national parks.  This plan would significantly expand cellular and internet “connectivity” inside parks, at not just visitor centers but along most roads and at major sites such as trailheads.  The plan would also cede control and placement of facilities, as well as interpretive content about the park, to private concessionaires. 

 This stealth scheme to wire our national park system has advanced with little public involvement.  It will mean more ugly cell towers marring park vistas and “spill-over” coverage in wilderness and backcountry.  It is also a giant step to further “Disney-fy” our parks, replacing rangers with corporate icons as your guides. 

CELL TOWER NEWS FROM PEER

Letter to FCC Chair – NEPA Implementation -12-20-2023 (PDF)

DESCRIPTION: Letter to FCC Chair Rosenworcel to Implement NEPA TO: FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel FROM: Timothy ...

Letter to NPS Director – Public Notice and Consultation in Park Cell Tower Decisions -12-20-2023 (PDF)

DESCRIPTION: Letter to NPS Director to Restore Public Notice and Consultation to Park Decisions Regarding Cell ...

Letter to Senators King and Barrasso – Connect Our Parks Act (PDF)

Letter to Senators King and Barrasso Urging Amendments to S 2018 Connect Our Parks Act

Cell Tower Casts Shade on Bryce Canyon Centennial

Regional Office Steamrolled over Park Management and Staff Objections

COMMENTARY | How the FCC Fails to Follow Environmental Laws and Fails the Public

Given the FCC’s lack of oversight and failure to comply with environmental laws, numerous environmental harms ...

Park Service Eliminates Public Notice of New Cell Towers

Public Shut Out of Review of Telecom Expansion as 5G Era Dawns

Yellowstone’s Thermal Features vs. Expanded Bandwidth

Plan to Bury 187 Miles of Fiber Optic Cable May Damage Park “Hot” Spots

Letter to Department of Interior – Suspension of Delegated Authority – 03/17/2021

DESCRIPTION: Letter to Department of Interior to extend the Suspension of Delegated Authority from January 20, ...

National Parks Screwing Up Cell Tower Permits  

Nearly One-Third Invalid or Expired; Call to Extend Permit Moratorium  

National Park Cell Tower Violations Pile Up

Lawsuit and Audit to Expose Shady Telecom Deals with National Parks

Yellowstone Wi-Fi Plan Driven by Corporate Wishes  

Trees Felled in Proposed Wilderness and Historic Landmarks Penetrated   

More Than 500 New Antennas Slated for Yellowstone

Formerly Off-Limits Historic Buildings to Be Honeycombed with Wi-Fi

National Parks Seek Ubiquitous Cell Coverage

Telecoms in Driver’s Seat as Cell Towers Sprout Across Park Landscapes

Cell Tower Miasma Pervades National Park System

Audit Finds Broad Noncompliance with Eco-Rules and Revenue Collection

Grand Teton Cell Mega-expansion Violates Law and Policy

Inspector General Asked to Include 13-Tower Grand Teton Plan in Ongoing Review

Yellowstone Closes Hiking Destination to Hike Bandwidth

Mt. Washburn Build-Out Shows Cell Service Trumps Massive Infrastructure Needs

Grand Teton Stealth Plan for 11 New Cell Towers

Lawsuit Seeks Records Detailing Nation’s Largest Park Cellular Expansion

Yosemites Illegal Cell Tower Network Grows in the Dark

Call for National Review of Improper Park/Telecom Deals Cut Behind Closed Doors

Yellowstone’s Quandary: How Do You Fix Ugly?

Plans for Scenic Mt. Washburn Must Prevent Further Damage to Historic Value

Mount Rainier Poised to Wire Its Wilderness

Park Offers No Alternatives or Mitigation to Contain Cell Spillover from Paradise

New Yellowstone Cell Coverage to Swamp Backcountry

3-Sided Lattice Tower, 7 New Microwave Dishes to Encrust Historic Mt. Washburn

Yellowstone Plots Bandwidth Explosion

New Towers and Major Facility Expansion Violate Laws and Park Service Policies

Mount Rainier Wilderness Slated for Cell Coverage

Proposed Cellular Antennas in Paradise Visitor Center Will Wire Wilderness

Yellowstone Backcountry Blanketed With Cell Coverage

Remotest Corners Now Connected Despite Park Promises of Limited Coverage

Wiring National Parks Creates Conflicts

Commercial Cell Service Clashes with National Park Policies and Values

Another 4G Cell Tower Slated for Remote National Park

North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt Wants Second Tower Abutting Wilderness

Park Service Reneges on Promised Cell Restrictions

Yellowstone Builds New Towers but Ignores Vows to Limit Visibility and Coverage

Yellowstone’s Cellular Bandwidth Dilemma

Telecom Companies Push Plans to Wire Park for New 4G LTE

Languishing Wilderness Legacy of National Parks

Vast Wild and Roadless Tracts Remain Unprotected in Wilderness Logjam

Plans to Wire Entire National Park System

Concessionaires Would Control Visitor Cell and Internet Access and Content

Yellowstone’s New Cell Tower Pre-Approved Despite Impacts

Disingenuous Call for Public Comments Does Not Cure Violations of Law and Policy

CELL TOWER TO RISE IN CENTER OF YELLOWSTONE PARK

100-Foot Monstrosity Violates Height, Visibility and Public Notice Policies

Old Faithful Vandals Caught on Webcam

“Geyser Gazers” Call in Violation in Yellowstone’s First Cyber-Enforcement Case

More Cell Towers, Wi-Fi and Web-Cams Coming to Yellowstone

New Plan Extends Large Electronic Footprint across Yellowstone’s Iconic Sites

CYBER-PARKS COMING TO A FLAT SCREEN NEAR YOU

Yellowstone to Unveil Live Streaming Web Camera at Old Faithful Geyser

YELLOWSTONE DOUBLES ITS CELL PHONE USE AMID TOWER STRUGGLES

Park Ignores Agency Policy to Limit Government Cell Phones to Verified Need

YELLOWSTONE SCRAMBLING TO STOP CELL TOWER AT PARK GATEWAY

115-Foot Tower Would Dominate Historic Area and Tourist Attractions

PLANS FOR MORE YELLOWSTONE CELL TOWERS INCH FORWARD

“Visitor Expectations” Cited as Basis for Electronically Blanketing the Park

OSHA FINDS YELLOWSTONE CELL TOWER EMITS EXCESS RADIATION

Popular Hiking Spot Has Unsafe Radio Frequency Radiation Levels

TELECOMS’ SECRET PLAN TO WIRE ENTIRE YELLOWSTONE PARK

Industry Invited to Illegal Closed-Door Meeting to Divide Up Park

CELL PHONE RINGS COMING TO EVERY CORNER OF NATIONAL PARKS

Officials Invite Telecom Companies to Fill In “Dead Zones” Throughout Park System

OLD FAITHFUL CELL TOWER MAKEOVER IS A BUST

Revamped Tower Will Still Be an Eyesore

YELLOWSTONE PARK ILLEGALLY POCKETS CELL TOWER MONEY

Plus Free Phones and 60,000 Free Cell Minutes for Park Staff

OLD FAITHFUL CELL TOWER MAY BE SHORTENED AND CAMOUFLAGED

Park Resists Calls for Removal

PARK SERVICE WANTS TO KNOW WHERE CELL TOWERS ARE LOCATED

Headquarters Creating an Inventory as Telecom Companies Target Parks

U.S. HISTORIC PRESERVATION AGENCY TO INVESTIGATE OLD FAITHFUL CELL PHONE TOWER

Yellowstone Park Ignores Findings of Violations

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? CELL TOWERS SPREADING THROUGHOUT NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM

Park System Ignoring Public Notice Rules; Does Not Even Track New Towers

CELL PHONE TOWER AT OLD FAITHFUL IS AN EYESORE

Tower Illegal; Wyoming Files Complaint

TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES BENDING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL TIDE

Mounting Challenges Against Facilities on Federal Lands
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