#West virginia radio silence zone driver
He also noted that cellular service is now available at the nearby Snowshoe ski resort, a key local economic driver that attracts large numbers of tourists in the snowy months.Īs the community has grown to include high-end lodging, restaurants, and shopping, property values in and around Pocahontas County have risen, by some measures, to nearly triple the national rate over the past decade. “People who live in this area are denied a safety net,” the bed and breakfast owner said, adding that a car accident in a remote area could become very serious without the ability to call for help. Green Bank native Patrick Coleman, 69, argued that the lack of cell service is dangerous and must end. “You visit, you listen to other people,” said the 78-year-old from Indiana. While visiting the Green Bank Observatory, tourist Nancy Showalter was surprised to learn why her phone couldn’t get a signal, but she also said that she quickly liked the silence.Ī headstone marking a grave near the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia ROBERTO SCHMIDT AFP It’s an argument that resonates in the United States, where Pew Research data shows that 85 percent of American adults say they own a smartphone and nearly a third report that they are “almost constantly” online. “In today’s world where we can never go more than a minute or two without hearing the beep or buzz of a tech device, this is the place you can go to get away from all of this,” said Chelsea Ruby of the state. West Virginia state tourism officials promote this quirk of the area as the “ultimate digital detox.” Locals said wireless internet has become widespread in recent years and they have not faced any penalties, despite rules that technically allow violators to be fined $ 50.Įven before the proliferation of WiFi, locals got their fix from Netflix or Facebook over wired internet connections, yet cellular service is still non-existent by the rules. Yvonne Wallech looks at her mobile phone as she attends her gift shop in Green Bank, West Virginia ROBERTO SCHMIDT AFP The zone imposes limits and supervision on artificial radio waves in the 13,000 square miles (almost 34,000 square kilometers) surrounding Green Bank, where restrictions are officially supposed to be stricter for electronic noise generators such as WiFi routers. To protect the work of the observatory, as well as the operations of a nearby spy facility, the United States government created the National Radio Quiet Zone in 1958. That’s because it houses the Green Bank Observatory for more than six decades, which requires radio silence to be able to look deep into space to observe stars and black holes. a gift shop told AFP.īut Green Bank is changing: Wi-Fi is officially discouraged, but it has become common, property values are on the rise, and not everyone agrees on what comes next for this seeming haven from the digital age that is riddled with complexity.ĭespite its population of less than 200 people and its remote location among hills, dense forests and farms about a four-hour drive from the United States capital, Washington, it is a place of international fascination. “By coming here and being able, if you want, to get away from it (the internet), there is a certain cleansing that comes to you, which gives you time to clear your mind,” said the 59-year-old owner. You have internet on your property in Green Bank, West Virginia, but as soon as you leave home, and you’re not connected to someone else, there are no pings, dings, or rings. Yvonne Wallech loves the digital respite and sense of community in her small US town, where cell phone service is effectively banned and outsiders come seeking the refuge of that tranquility.