Why are Wi-Fi, Microwaves, and Cell Phones Completely Banned in a Town in the United States?

Green Bank is a small town in the state of West Virginia, near the Virginia border. In 2020, the census count was only 141. But Green Bank is a draw for science lovers.

And that's where the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope is located , searching the far reaches of the universe for signals that may come from other life forms or lead to astronomical discoveries. To ensure the telescope doesn't experience nearby interference, the area adheres to very special rules .

Green Bank is located within the National Radio Silence Zone . This means that radio transmissions are restricted by law. This policy is enforced by a "radio policeman," who uses specialized equipment to detect signals from unauthorized electronic devices. And that's where things get interesting, as the zone must be free of all types of frequencies.

According to El Confidencial , these technological restrictions include a ban on microwaves and Wi-Fi. There is also no mobile phone signal, as antennas cannot be installed in the area. These limitations respond to a crucial scientific need to avoid electromagnetic interference that could affect the powerful radio telescope. The National Radio Silence Zone (NRQZ) is a 33,000-square-kilometer area created in 1958 to minimize electromagnetic pollution.

A Different Life

But the Green Bank Telescope isn't just another one of the many. As Popular Mechanics explains , black holes, pulsars, radiation belts, and gravitational waves have all been discovered there . In October 2019, researchers at the British Earth Observatory (GBO) discovered the most massive neutron star ever detected there . For all of this to be possible, the telescope has to be free of nearby radiation that could interfere with these very sensitive waves.

It's only natural that life in Green Bank is very different from the cities one is accustomed to. Technological restrictions have not only transformed the daily lives of residents, but also create a tourist attraction for those looking to escape all radiation for a few days and also unwind.

Those living there are prohibited from using mobile devices or wireless internet connections , forcing them to rely on landlines and cable networks. Furthermore, microwaves are banned due to the interference they generate in the radio frequency spectrum. Compliance with these regulations is closely monitored by surveillance equipment that detects potentially prohibited emissions.

People Live Far From Hyperconnectivity

Strict enforcement of these restrictions allows the radio telescope to operate undisturbed and continue its mission of exploring the far reaches of the universe. Many of the residents have adopted a lifestyle free from hyperconnectivity . This makes the town a haven of tranquility, in addition to the Appalachian mountain setting where it is located.

Green Bank is also the birthplace of SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) research. In 1960, Frank Drake launched Project Ozma here, the first U.S. government-funded attempt to detect extraterrestrial intelligence. It's also where he wrote his famous equation about the possibility of worlds other than our own. And SETI work continues at Green Bank.

In 2019, one million gigabytes of SETI data collected over the past three years was made public, making it the largest trove of its kind ever created. But achieving this requires compromises. "The signals we're detecting from space are extremely weak," said Harshal Gupta, National Science Foundation program manager for the Green Bank Observatory.