• The installation of up to 484 small (10 x 10 inch or 7 inch diameter) antennas on employee housing and visitor lodging facilities at Canyon Village, Grant Village, Lake Village, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Old Faithful. 
• To link the antennas to internet providers outside the park, 39 additional antennas would be required and would include:
• 29 x 9 inch antennas installed at various locations in the developed areas at Canyon Village, Grant Village, Lake Village, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Old Faithful  
• 6-foot-diameter antenna installed at an existing tower at Old Faithful
• one 2-foot and one 3-foot-diameter antenna installed on the existing tower at Mount Washburn
• Coverage could eventually extend to other developed areas such as Norris, Madison, and Bechler for administrative and employee use.
• Exterior antennas would be located in areas to minimize visibility. Where visible, the installations would be painted to match the buildings on which they are installed.
• In an effort to have no adverse effect to historic properties or districts, many of the antennas on National Register of Historic Places eligible structures would be located in attic spaces or under eaves. 
• Examples of typical antenna placements and a list of affected properties are available here: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ap

The proposed installations would provide internet service to park visitors and employees in hotels and housing in developed areas. Consistent with the Yellowstone National Park Wireless Communication Services Plan, wireless access to recommended wilderness and park road corridors would be excluded.

Judging from the more than 1,000 comments posted on Yellowstone's Instagram feed and Traveler's Facebook page, there's quite a bit of opposition to the proposal.

"No. I don’t want to visit Yellowstone and see half the visitors looking at their phone instead of appreciating Yellowstone. Having WiFi would just ruin the whole vibe," read one comment on the park's IG feed. 

"No. The point of going to these places is to reconnect with yourself," added another. "If you need WiFi you shouldn’t be there."

"While we are at it," another added sarcastically, "let's put a Starbucks in the Lamar Valley."

Comments posted on IG or on any other social media channel, however, will not be considered. To be considered, comments must either be made online, by hand-delivery, or via mail.

It also should be noted that the Park Service doesn't view comment periods as a "vote" on the proposal in question. Rather, it seeks substantive pro and con comments on why the proposal in question is seen as good or bad.

AccessParks staff maintains that lack of quality Internet service turns people off from visiting parks.

"We couldn’t stay in national parks or most RV parks for more than a few days due to lack of quality Internet," the company states on its website. "The solution we built for the most remote regions on earth for the military were a perfect fit for remote lodging and housing. Now, with AccessParks, we see a future where exploring the outdoors doesn’t have a time limit, and we can connect from anywhere, reliably."

Furthermore, says AccessParks, "(W)e believe that by addressing the need for predictable, quality internet in remote lodging, RV parks and campgrounds, we are helping more people experience the outdoors we love, for longer periods of time, and with the untethered freedom of exploring confidently. The outdoors should be a part of everyone’s life, especially younger generations. When parents can keep up with work for an hour in the evening, the kids benefit from longer stays."

Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly told Traveler earlier this week that the proposal arrived at the park early in 2018, and that AccessParks has installed similar networks at Glacier National Park and Lake Mead National Recration Area and is seeking approval at Grand Canyon National Park.

"Personally, providing the connectivity to visitors is secondary to providing connectivity to the 3,000-4,000 NPS and concession employees, many of whom live/work in some of the most remote parts of the park," said Sholly. "Lack of connectivity is regularly cited as a major concern by employees and their families, and is unquestionably a major recruitment/retention issue. That said, we hear regularly from visitors that they wish we had better WiFi in visitor centers and hotels. Keep in mind that we already have WiFi (and associated infrastructure) in many areas; it's just very very slow. The upgrades and technology proposed here would make a major difference to employees and visitors.

"In regards to people who opine that connectivity upgrades within developed areas shouldn't occur, I invite them to come live at Grant Village or South Entrance, or Old Faithful for a season," the superintendent added. "They can see first-hand the enormous frustration much of our workforce has not being able to connect - whether that's kids doing homework, or other things we all use the internet for."

Comments on the proposal can be hand-delivered to park staff during business hours at the Albright Visitor Center, Attention: Access Parks Broadband Proposal, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190. 

Mailed comments should be addressed to: Compliance Office, Attention: Access Parks Broadband Proposal, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190.