Cell Towers: Coming to the National Parks

Jimmy Tobias reports on the proliferation of telecommunications infrastructure in public lands, a consequence of policy and philosophy changes enacted by the Trump administration.

In fact, [the National Park Service] is presently pursuing a massive expansion of cellular and broadband facilities at Grand Teton National Park. Working in tandem with major telecom companies like AT&T and its agents, the agency is planning to permit the installation of more than 60 miles of fiber-optic cable, as well as at least nine new cell tower sites scattered throughout the park. The plan, which is awaiting a final permit, would blanket much of Grand Teton with new and stronger coverage. It is shaping up to be the largest single expansion of telecommunications infrastructure in national park history.

Supporters of expanded cell service in national parks point to the potential support such technology could provide for search and rescue missions, as well as the large demand for cell service among the general public. Others point to the need for places where people can still unplug from technology and social media.

Grand Teton National Park is really just a testing ground, however, for a wider deployment of telecom infrastructure in public lands."The telecom giants — AT&T, Verizon and more — are pushing to build out infrastructure on protected public lands across the country," according to Tobias, "[a]nd they have found a close collaborator in the federal government, which is working alongside industry operatives to open many national parks and other public lands to commercial wireless service." 

Specifically, according to Tobias, "President Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission has limited the authority of local governments to stop such development." Also, "The administration is also working to 'streamline' environmental reviews and speed up the permitting process that lets companies build telecom facilities on federal land."