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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-time engineer at electric airplane manufacturing company BETA Technologies, decided to approach 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 that there would be no cost to the host, North Tunbridge General Store owners Mike and Lois Gross let Schlott install his first phone outside the store.
“Everyone’s pretty surprised, and they’re like, ‘Is that a real pay phone? Does that really work?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but it doesn’t cost any money now,'” said store owner Mike Gross. “We’ve had people use it that broke down. It’s a great thing because service is so spotty in Vermont.”
The first free public phone installation was Schlott’s idea, but he says the two other locations, the Latham Library in Thetford and inside an informational booth in Randolph off Interstate 89, came from community members requesting the service.
Schlott buys the old pay phones, which can range in cost from $100 to $500, at flea markets, from internet listings or auctions, and fixes them up in his basement workshop. All that’s needed to install one of his phones is an internet connection—no coins necessary.
Along with covering the costs, which are 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 will ring Schlott’s personal cellphone, though he uses an app to keep his number private.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.