Last week, it was reported that the state of Nevada is close to becoming the first state in the nation to connect visitors to Wi-Fi at all 24 state parks.
The move comes as a part of the Explore Your Nevada initiative, championed by Governor Brian Sandoval (R-NV) who last year made adding new park locations and high-speed internet access at parks and campsites statewide a top priority under the new plan.
“We’re proud to be the first U.S. state to announce our commitment to put Wi-Fi in all of our state parks,” said Eric Johnson, administrator for Nevada State Parks. “Our long-term goal is to ensure the millions of park guests that visit our locations each year have access to the same consistent high-speed, high-quality connectivity Wi-Fi service—park-to-park—providing a true value when visiting parks across our state.”
The Nevada State Parks system intends to deliver on its promise to connect visitors with Wi-Fi, by partnering with Viasat, a global communications company specializing in outdoor connectivity networks nationwide. Thanks to the use of the company’s advanced satellite systems as well as its Wi-Fi services platform, which will create a large-scale “hotspot” across the state, park-goers will be able to connect to high-speed wireless internet, regardless of where they are. Viasat joined with Wi-Fi in the Park, a locally based telecom consultancy to help develop a strategy, connecting the most frequently visited parks first.
Wi-Fi in parks helps visitors better plan their activities, giving them instant access to weather and alerts. It lets people get deeper into interpretive activities, with guided walks and access to additional information for sights on their smartphones And it may encourage outdoor enthusiasts to stay longer, if they can check in on the office or loved ones while they’re enjoying nature. That’s not just good for park goers, it’s good for the revenues and long term sustainability of the parks. And it helps to improve park safety and maintenance. The Nevada State Parks system and Governor Sandoval should be applauded for their efforts to help connect more people in more places.