The Town Where WiFi, TV, Radio, and Cellphones are Banned

Daily Mail
August 12, 2013

  • Green Bank, West Virginia lies in the National Radio Quiet Zone where electronic transmitters are strictly regulated
  • Cellphones, WiFi, TV and radio are banned so satellites can gather information from space
  • Some have been flocking to the small town to escape what they believe to be the dangerous electronic wavelengths

The town of Bomont outlawed dancing in the movie Footloose, but the kids in Green Bank, West Virginia live with much worse: no electronics.

That’s because the small town of 149 people lies in the middle of the 13,000-square mile National Radio Quiet Zone.

Scientists use this space to project satellites into space for research, and they can’t have waves from personal electronic devices interrupting their signals. That means no radio, TV, WiFi, cellphones or bluetooth.

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Shh…Green Bank, West Virginia is home to the largest steerable satellite in the world – and it needs absolute radio silence to do it’s work.
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Switch off: WiFi, cellphones and TV are strictly off limits.
This is why your cell phone will not work in Snowshoe. Or like, half of WVa.
Emergencies only: First responders are the only residents allowed to use the prohibited electronics.

Green Bank is home to the largest steerable radio telescope in the world – the Green Bank Telescope. It is arguably the most powerful satellite observing space.

To let the telescope operate without disturbances the town has completely outlawed the use of electronic transmitting devices and a policeman actually patrols the streets looking for wireless signals.

Only first responders are allowed to use radios and there’s only one pay phone. Residents still have access to the internet, but at the glacial streaming pace dial-up offers.

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