“When Yellowstone wrapped up its telecommunications plan a decade ago, the park specifically designated historic buildings like the Old Faithful Lodge and Lake Hotel cabins as places that wouldn’t be modernized with Wi-Fi technology.
Knowing those commitments, National Park Service watchdog Jeff Ruch was baffled when he read a proposal to add more than 500 antennas spread on buildings around the 2.2-million-acre park to bolster Wi-Fi connections. Among the places slated for the improved connectivity were the historic buildings that Yellowstone had previously said would go without high-speed internet connections.
“What they did a decade ago appears to have been shortsighted, and rather than redo it they’re just advancing their way into the next generation of connectivity,” said Ruch, who directs the Pacific Region of the advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, known as PEER.”
