US engineer Patrick Schlott is restoring old payphones and installing them in public places in Vermont. The devices allow you to make free calls to numbers in the US and Canada — all you need is an internet connection, National Public Radio reports.
Schlott buys used payphones on eBay and Craigslist, repairs them in his own workshop, and modifies them for VoIP. He covers all costs, including the phone bill, himself. He says that maintaining one device costs no more than a Netflix subscription.
The first payphone was installed in March 2024 outside a shop in Tunbridge. Since then, the devices have been installed in two other towns, and hundreds of calls have been made through them. The most active device is the one near the public library in Thetford Centre - for calling parents or in cases of car breakdown nearby.
In June, Vermont voted to ban cell phones in schools starting in the 2026-2027 school year. That could make Schlott’s initiative even more relevant — he said there have already been requests to install pay phones near schools.
Schlott notes that the project has received some financial support from concerned individuals. At the same time, he emphasizes that regardless of the scale of the initiative, the calls will remain free for everyone.