Presque Isle State Park, AT&T reach deal. How it will benefit visitors, park services

Whether you're a parent at Presque Isle State Park trying to upload a video of your kid building a sand castle or a peninsula visitor in need of emergency services, officials announced a public-private partnership that could benefit you.

AT&T has expanded its 5G network in the Erie area by co-locating equipment on an existing Pennsylvania State Police tower at Presque Isle State Park. Local, state and AT&T officials gathered there Thursday to announce the partnership that has been in the works for two years. They said the new site was turned on just days before the April 8 solar eclipse and worked well during that major event.

Matt Greene, Presque Isle operations manager, said there will be "multiple layers of benefit coming to the visitor to Presque Isle," including enhanced public safety and more coverage for wireless users.

How it helps park staff in an emergency

Park rangers will join others already using FirstNet, the AT&T service for first responders, Greene said. In an emergency, he said, that would give first responders priority on the service.

The added coverage and capacity will also be a boon to some but not all of the more than 4 million everyday visitors who go to Presque Isle each year.

"This will benefit AT&T customers alone," said David Kerr, president of AT&T Pennsylvania.

He said the range will depend on factors including geography, but the benefits should be seen along Presque Isle and the immediate Lake Erie shoreline.

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State Rep. Pat Harkins of Erie, D-1st Dist., said the effort began with a hearing two years ago at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center after he and state Rep. Bob Merski of Erie, D-2nd Dist., had received calls from people concerned about lack of cell service on parts of the park and along Lake Erie.

Other cell providers may expand access in future

Harkins said providers in addition to AT&T have been part of the talks and it's hoped they could be added to the tower in the future.

John Hallas, director of the Bureau of State Parks, said additional providers would be assessed on a case-by-case basis as AT&T was.

"Our goal is to advance public safety and advance broadband and do so in a way retaining responsibility to natural resources," said Michael Walsh, state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources deputy secretary for administration.

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Greene said that by placing the AT&T equipment on the existing 160-foot structure already in the park's maintenance area to serve public safety, there was no new obstruction to the view or degradation of natural resources.

"We always try to strike that balance in (a) state park of resource protection and visitors' services and public safety," Greene said. "This allows us to kind of get that balance really good with minimum impact to the resource."

Dana Massing can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Presque Isle State Park cell service boosted with AT&T deal