Kids living in a US town where WiFi is banned hacked teachers’ computers and paid $20 for codes to get online
In a rural American town where WiFi is a crime and a lot of technology is banned, a student was caught hacking a teacher’s computer to get online – a move punishable by a $50 fine.
Home to 250 people, it is known as the quietest town in America due to its mandated lack of connectivity, designed to protect the work of Green Bank Observatory.
Radio silence is needed for the world’s largest steerable radio telescope to detect radio waves emitted by stars and pulsars in space. The observatory’s work is protected by a piece of legislation known as the Radio Astronomy Zoning Act, introduced in 1956 and curtailing the use of any electronics or radio frequencies that could interfere with the telescope.
Green Bank features in a new book, “The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence” by Stephen Kurczy, an author and journalist previously published by The New York Times and The Economist.
At Green Bank Elementary-Middle School, teachers can’t use ‘smart’ whiteboards in class It can take weeks to rotate students through wired computer suites for online assessments.
