Patrick Schlott, an electrical engineer, recognized the lack of cell service in rural Vermont and decided to install old pay phones for public use. Collaborating with local general store owners, he set up the first free phone outside the North Tunbridge General Store. Community demand led to additional phones at Latham Library and Randolph. Schlott refurbishes these phones, which require no coins or traditional service lines, only an internet connection.
"I realized, wow, there's no cell service for 10 miles (16 kilometers) in either direction. The community could really benefit from something like this."
"Everyone's pretty surprised, and they're like, 'Is that a real pay phone? Does that really work?'" said store owner Mike Gross. "It's a great thing because service is so spotty in Vermont."
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