America’s “Quiet Zone” Has Never Allowed Wi-Fi. Now, It’s Being Connected For The First Time

The Green Bank Observatory, the oldest federal radio astronomy facility in the United States, was established in West Virginia in 1956 to scan the skies for objects in space. In order to prevent its readings from being impacted by local signals, it established a 33,670 square-kilometer (13,000 square-mile) National Radio Quiet Zone in 1958. This prohibited the use of any devices that create emissions – like radios and Wi-Fi routers – so that they wouldn’t overlap the frequencies of the space objects the observatory is searching for.

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It’s been a source of contention in the 21st century as local residents longed to join the world of wireless. Now, for the first time ever, the observatory is going to allow Wi-Fi to be used within the Quiet Zone. The development will allow the use of Wi-Fi at the Green Bank Elementary and Middle School (GBEMS), which is just next door to the U.S. National Science Foundation Green Bank Telescope.

“This is a big, positive change for us,” said GBEMS Principal Melissa Jordan in a statement. “This conversation has been going on for a few years, and it’s finally happening. Our students now have the same equal opportunities as the others in the county. We’re really excited to see the ways that this can positively impact student achievement.”

When it was first established back in the late 1950s, few could’ve predicted that by the turn of the millennium, education would be radically transformed by the advent of the Internet. Initially, the observatory was able to support the local community by providing resources like the school and library, but as technology marched on, they’ve been missing one pivotal ingredient. Now, they’re finally getting to go online.

The Quiet Zone isn’t so quiet.

Stephen Kurczy

“Green Bank Observatory’s gift to Green Bank Elementary School is not just of WiFi, but the gift of education, inspiration and knowledge,” added Senator Shelley Moore Capito. “Enabling the students this tool to expand their universe is a fitting thing to receive from the Green Bank Observatory. While GBO studies the stars, I applaud them for their commitment to the neighbors here on earth. I hope the students are excited to have the tools to help them become the scientists and explorers of tomorrow.”

To say that the Quiet Zone has never had Wi-Fi would be inaccurate because, although its use has been prohibited, that hasn’t stopped people from breaking the rules and installing routers. 

"The Quiet Zone isn’t so quiet," said journalist Stephen Kurczy, author of The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence, to IFLScience. "While innumerable articles have touted the West Virginia town of Green Bank as an offline oasis, smartphones are not banned and there’s a lot of Wi-Fi, despite rules against it. Five years before I arrived, the observatory was already counting about 70 Wi-Fi hotspots within 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) of its telescopes. [In 2021, there were] nearly 200 hotspots. And keep in mind this is a rural community of only about 250 people. I’ve actually found it difficult to locate anybody without Wi-Fi."

The amendment hopes to make it easier and fairer for those following the rules to get online, while preserving the important research still taking place 24 hours a day at the Green Bank Observatory.