US EditionIn Vermont, Pay Phones Return Free of Charge in Cellular Dead Zone
ORANGE COUNTY, VERMONT, JUL 22 – Engineer Schlott installs refurbished pay phones to provide free calls in areas lacking cell coverage, with 370 calls made in five months, aiding students and emergency needs.
- Engineer Schlott installed free public pay phones around Vermont starting with one outside the North Tunbridge General Store about five months ago.
- Schlott repurposed old pay phones due to spotty cell service and community requests, aiming to provide a cost-free emergency communication option.
- Additional public phones have been installed at Latham Library located in Thetford and within an informational booth in Randolph, with plans to set up another at Brownell Library in Essex.
- Since installation, the first phone handled 370 calls, often used by students without cellphones, and store owner Mike Gross said, "it doesn't cost any money now."
- The project fills a communication gap in areas lacking cell service and may expand further, though Schlott noted covering phone costs might change as it grows.
56 Articles
56 Articles
Who Needs 5G? Vermont Engineer Brings Back Pay Phones—for Free
An electrical engineer by trade, Patrick Schlott has spent countless hours tinkering with new and old technology. But it wasn’t until he found himself living in rural Vermont that he realized his penchant for repairing old pay phones could provide a public service. “I realized, wow, there’s no cell service for 10 miles (16 kilometers) in either direction,” he said. “The community could really benefit from something like this.” Schlott, a full-ti…
Associated Press News
Vermont engineer revives pay phones for free calls in areas with poor cell service
An electrical engineer in rural Vermont is reviving old pay phones to give people a free option for making calls in areas where cell service is unreliable or nonexistent.
Video: No quarter needed: Vermont engineer revives pay phones for free calls in areas with poor cell servic
Electrical engineer Patrick Schlott fixes and installs old payphones in rural Vermont, allowing users to make calls free of charge in areas where cell service is often unreliable. (AP video: Amanda Swinhart) Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress Read more: https://apnews.com This video may be available for archive licensing via https://newsroom.ap.org/home
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
