What They Are Saying: America’s Adventurers and Community Advocates Speak on the Benefits of Connected Outdoors
Aug 4, 2026
Last week, the Connect Everyone Coalition (CEC) hosted a webinar, Connected Outdoors: Safety and Innovation for America’s Adventurers.
A panel of experienced outdoor recreation enthusiasts and community advocates explored how low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband is transforming outdoor safety, emergency response and rural connectivity. The discussion was moderated by CEC Executive Director Richard Cullen and featured:
- Eric and Nicole DeHaven, outdoor recreation enthusiasts
- Mark Crider, sheriff of Walla Walla County, Washington
- Laurie Barnhart, legislative director of the North Carolina Grange
The discussion showcased the real-world impact LEO technology is already having in improving public safety, supporting responsible adventuring and aiding in the wake of natural disasters (missed us live? View the recording HERE!).
From emergency response to rural development, here’s what our panelists had to say on the ways space-based technology can keep people safe, connected and informed:
Eric DeHaven: “We have Starlink on our offshore boat, so we’re out offshore all the time in the ocean … I can communicate. I can check weather conditions. I mean, I can’t tell you how useful that is over just a weather radio to be able to actually look to see that there is a storm coming and we need to get moving, so it’s changed the way that we plan these trips.”
Mark Crider: “I think Starlink is a game changer. I’m a big believer. I personally have Starlink at my house. Believe it or not, I live a mile outside the city limits, and I could not get good, reliable internet service. It was like AOL dial-up speed. I installed Starlink, and it’s been a game changer. It’s super easy to use, super-fast speed, and I think, especially for search and rescue up in the mountains and my deputies on a day-to-day basis, it’s been a game changer for what we’ll be able to do.”
Laurie Barnhart: “Precision agriculture is huge. And broadband and Starlink, the LEOs, certainly have been able to give farmers that live in remote areas … the means to farm productively and to keep up with that technology.”
Access to always-on LEO connectivity is an added layer of protection that helps keep America’s adventurers connected and safe. The group described why innovative space technologies have tremendous potential to deliver fast, dependable broadband where terrestrial infrastructure falls short:
Laurie Barnhart: “Hurricane Helene, two years ago in September, caused what the National Weather Service described as the closest thing to a total communications blackout in modern U.S. history … It was awful, and over 200,000 residents in Western North Carolina lost phone and internet due to widespread power failures, severe river flooding, landslides and completely severed fiber optic cables. The two primary connections to the outside world were SpaceX’s Starlink satellite and community ham radio.”
Mark Crider: “We just recently had a 15,000-acre wildfire, and my guys were out trying to notify the limited number of people that live out there, and what we found is the thickness of the smoke severely degraded the radio system. But we had one individual that had Starlink on his vehicle. He was able to keep communications, and then he relayed between the deputies that were out there trying to notify all the residents of the evacuation.”
Eric DeHaven: “When the inReach [satellite communicator] came out, it was groundbreaking because it allowed not just tracking but two-way communication. So, the other benefit of this is not just for emergencies. I can text my family. I can communicate with people.”
Watch the full webinar HERE.
Learn more about the Connect Everyone Coalition HERE.