One Man in Rural Vermont Is Setting Up Free Pay Phones

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 when it hit on him that his penchant for repairing old pay phones could provide a public service. "I realized, wow, there's no cell service for 10 miles in either direction," he said, per the AP. "The community could really benefit from something like this." Schlott approached the owners of his local general store with the idea to install old pay phones around town and make them free for public use. After he explained there'd be no cost to the host, North Tunbridge General Store owners Mike and Lois Gross let Schlott install his first phone outside their store.

• How it works: Schlott buys the old phones, which range in cost from $100 to $500, at flea markets, from internet listings, or at auction, then fixes them up in his basement workshop. All that's needed to install them is an internet connection—no coins necessary. "There's a small piece of equipment that converts an internet telephone line to an analog line that these phones can operate off of," he says.

• Operator Schlott: Along with covering the costs—about $2 to $3 a month for each phone line and less than $5 a month for calls—Schlott acts as the operator for each phone and can field or transfer calls, helping users when needed. If a user dials zero, the phone rings Schlott's personal cellphone, though he uses an app to keep his number private.
• Expansion: The first installation was Schlott's idea, but he says two other locations—the Latham Library in Thetford and inside an information booth in Randolph—came from community members requesting the service. Another free phone install is in the works at the Brownell Library in Essex. For now, Schlott plans to continue covering the costs associated with each phone, but he noted that may change as the project scales.
• Thumbs-up: Hannah McClain, a regular at the North Tunbridge store, says she finds comfort in knowing the phone is there whenever her 16-year-old daughters might need it. "It does make me feel safer if the kids are out and about, that if they had an emergency up this way, that they could stop and use this," she says. "I think these are a great service."