Finding of No Significant Impact Signed for Telecommunications Plan at Grand Canyon National Park

News Launch Date: January 14, 2021

Get hold of: Kaitlyn Thomas, Community Affairs Specialist, 202-763-3440

Speak to: Rachel Bennett, Deputy Chief of Arranging, Environment and Tasks, 928-637-8368

Grand Canyon, AZ – On November 19, 2020, Michael T. Reynolds, Countrywide Park Provider Regional Director of Regions 6, 7, and 8, and Ed Keable, Superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park, signed a Obtaining of No Important Effect (FONSI) for the implementation of the Grand Canyon Nationwide Park Telecommunications Approach outlined by the 2019 Telecommunications System and Environmental Evaluation (EA).

The Telecommunications Approach, created in accordance with the National Environmental Coverage Act and the Nationwide Historic Preservation Act, was produced by the National Park Provider to  1) comprehensively address latest telecommunications deficiencies within just made spots of Grand Canyon Nationwide Park that inhibit NPS functions as nicely as the things to do of guests and park associates and 2) assure that telecommunications infrastructure is intended and situated in a method that minimizes impacts to park methods.

Existing obtainable bandwidth capability presents sluggish, occasionally non-existent, wi-fi services for people who dwell, perform, and recreate within just the park. Implementation of the Telecommunications Program will deliver a framework and direction for the long run construction and procedure of telecommunications infrastructure—specifically, telecommunications towers, small-mobile sites, and fiber optic communications cable—within currently designed spots of the park. The proposal also contains the removal and/or probable relocation of some present telecommunications infrastructure, including an current tower.

Grand Canyon National Park will discover and produce techniques for processing telecommunications proper-of-way (ROW) purposes. The NPS will then critique and contemplate ROW applications for the construction, set up, procedure, and servicing of up to five extra business telecommunications towers in the North Rim, South Rim, and Desert View designed parts of the park. These new towers will be permitted, sited, created, made, set up, operated, and managed in adherence to recognized location, design, and normal infrastructure rules these kinds of as peak limitations and co-spot specifications.

In December of 2019, the NPS ready the System and EA to detect acceptable forms and places of telecommunications infrastructure and providers in just Grand Canyon Countrywide Park that, if installed, would proper deficiencies and provide sufficient and dependable wireless (together with cellular voice and details) protection, knowledge network ability/bandwidth, and two-way radio communications to satisfy the requires of site visitors, the NPS, and park associates in produced places of the park. Public feedback from historically connected tribes, stakeholders, people, and the general community had been acquired throughout a 30-day public remark time period and had been used in planning of the FONSI.

Grand Canyon National Park’s upcoming enhanced telecommunications infrastructure will assist an ordinary of 6 million website visitors for each 12 months NPS operations in-park associates, including non-profit companies, concession organizations, tribes, a general public university and clinic, a utility business, and other regional and federal law enforcement organizations and residents on the North and South Rims.

The EA, FONSI and other reference documents can be discovered on the NPS Setting up Atmosphere and Public Comment (PEPC) web page at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/GCTelecommunications.