Colby Bermel

Principia College

For most college students, access to cell service is just as important as water or electricity. But for the approximately 4,500 students training to become naval officers, this wasn’t the case in their dorm, which claims to be the world’s largest.

That is, until now.

Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Md., were able to begin their spring semester this week by posting, snapping and tweeting to their hearts’ content thanks to several hundred antennas that extend cell service into their rooms in Bancroft Hall – an eight-wing dorm with 4.8 miles of hallways.

“When I talked (during a school-wide speech on Jan. 11) about the 4G and LTE on-any-device capability coming online, the applause and reaction from the brigade of midshipmen was instantaneous," Vice Admiral Walter “Ted” Carter, the school’s superintendent, told USA TODAY College. "It was bigger than if I said they could take a week off. I was blown away.”

USNA is the first of the five service academies to complete installation of cell service enhancements specifically for its student housing.

The move, which cost $1 million, according to Carter, comes as the academy works to reconcile connectivity and security. USNA remains an active military base that reports directly to the Navy's highest-ranking officer, four-star Admiral John Richardson, who is the Navy's chief of naval operations.

Last summer, the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was hacked, resulting in the breach of 21.5 million people’s personal information, including that of USNA students. Although the Naval Academy’s networks were not compromised during the breach, the school said, it's still acutely aware of the security challenges it faces.

“Because we’re a government agency, even though we’re an .edu organization, I still follow all of the security protocols,” Carter said. “I am expected by 10th Fleet to make sure that all of our security protocols are in place.”

Carter was referring to the defense-in-depth and open-systems-interconnection models that have been implemented since the establishment of its networks several decades ago. In addition, everyone employed or attending the academy goes through mandatory cyber training. And the academy’s board of visitors includes members of Congress that have oversight of these matters.

The connectivity improvements – which required the installation of 330 antennas and 8 miles of cable – not only enhance school security, but expand educational opportunities. Carter said that computer science students have access to separate servers, networks and computers to practice their skills and prepare for competitions, such as last April’s National Security Agency’s annual Cyber Defense Exercise (CDX), won by a team from USNA.

And students are just plain happy to have access to their phones.

“I had to make phone calls outside, which becomes a little bit of a task during the winter in Annapolis,” sophomore Matt Sensenig said. “Usually you could squeak out a text conversation if you sat real close to the window ledge in your room.”

His roommate, sophomore Zach Skirpan, added, “I have friends who chose specific room assignments solely because they could get cell service.”

The midshipmen are also very active on social media apps like Snapchat and Yik Yak -- and the service academies received their own geo-based Snapchat Live college story on Tuesday.

“The (superintendent) knows what this generation of midshipmen value, and he knows how to put together a reform brief that will get the brigade hyped up for this next semester,” Sensenig said. “The changes he is making are genuinely useful and majorly appreciated.”



Colby Bermel is a Principia College student and a USA TODAY College correspondent.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.