VoIP brings back old-fashioned pay phones to rural Vermont (2025)
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在佛蒙特州的乡村，手机信号常常完全覆盖不到，一位名叫 Patrick Schlott 的电气工程师正把老式公用电话带回现代。 Schlott 在电动垂直起降飞行器制造商 Beta Technologies 工作，受 Futel 和 PhilTel 等免费电话项目的启发，他修复并在全州各地安装了可免费使用的公用电话。通过采用互联网语音协议（VoIP）和模拟电话适配器，他将这些复古设备接入互联网，让用户可以在美国和加拿大境内拨打免投币电话。
Schlott 的行动始于 2023 年初，那时他在父母的车库里发现了一部旧电话听筒。出于对复古技术的热爱以及对信号覆盖薄弱地区通信需求的实际考虑，他决定搭建一个公共电话网络。首个装置于 2024 年 3 月安装在 North Tunbridge General Store，在说服店主相信公用电话对旅客和当地居民尤其在紧急情况时有用后投入使用。
技术上，他要把原本为地线启动或环路启动电话线设计的旧式公用电话改造为兼容现代 VoIP 系统。 Schlott 用模拟电话适配器把模拟电话和基于互联网的数字通话桥接起来。他之所以选用公用电话而不是普通内部电话，是因为公用电话一眼就能被认作公共设施，结构坚固适合户外使用，同时带有独特的历史风味。
截至 2025 年 11 月，Schlott 已在图书馆、学校和市政厅等处安装了七部电话，且还有更多计划。需求主要由两方面推动：乡村地区缺乏手机信号，以及佛蒙特州将于 2026 年 9 月起在学校中禁止使用智能手机的新法规。家长和校方把这些公用电话视为学生打电话的必要替代方案。
该项目通过捐款和他自掏腰包资助，Schlott 负担二手公用电话的购买费用，价格依状态与来源从 50 美元到 700 美元不等，另有少量每月 VoIP 服务费。虽然电话供公众免费使用，但他保留了投币机构，既为保留历史感，也迎合黑客社区的兴趣，未来还计划纯粹出于趣味性恢复投币功能。
这些电话还设有特别的拨号代码：拨 0 可通过软电话应用直接联系到 Schlott 本人，其他代码可接通 Vermont United Way（211）、查号服务（411）和自杀热线（988）。 E911 支持紧急呼叫，每个地点的地址都已向服务提供商注册。 Schlott 的工作不仅提供了一项重要服务，也在庆祝老式电信技术的坚固耐用与丰厚历史。
In rural Vermont, where cell service is often nonexistent, an electrical engineer named Patrick Schlott is reviving the old-fashioned pay phone for the modern era. Working at Beta Technologies, an eVTOL manufacturer, Schlott was inspired by similar free-phone projects like Futel and PhilTel to restore and install free-to-use pay phones across the state. Using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, he connects these vintage devices to the internet via analog telephone adapters, allowing users to make coinless calls anywhere in the United States or Canada.
Schlott's journey began in early 2023 when he found an old phone handset in his parents' garage. Combining his passion for vintage technology with a practical need for communication in areas with poor cell coverage, he decided to create a public phone system. His first installation was at the North Tunbridge General Store in March 2024, after convincing the owners that a pay phone would be useful for travelers and locals alike, especially in emergencies.
The technical process involves converting old pay phones, which were originally designed for ground-start or loop-start telephone lines, to work with modern VoIP systems. Schlott uses analog telephone adapters to bridge the gap between the analog phones and digital internet-based calling. He chose pay phones over regular courtesy phones because they are instantly recognizable as public infrastructure, rugged enough to withstand outdoor conditions, and carry a sense of historical charm.
As of November 2025, Schlott has installed seven phones in locations such as libraries, schools, and a town hall, with more planned. The demand is driven by two main factors: the lack of cell service in rural areas and a new Vermont law banning smartphone use in schools starting in September 2026. Parents and school administrators see these pay phones as a necessary alternative for students to make calls.
Funding the project through donations and his own money, Schlott covers the costs of acquiring used pay phones, which can range from $50 to $700 depending on condition and source, and the minimal monthly VoIP service fees. While the phones are free to use, he has kept the coin mechanisms intact for their historical and hacker-friendly appeal, with future plans to incorporate coin functionality purely for fun.
The phones also feature special dialing codes: dialing 0 connects to Schlott himself via a softphone app, while other codes link to services like Vermont United Way (211), directory assistance (411), and the suicide hotline (988). Emergency calls are supported through E911, with each location's address registered with the provider. Schlott's work not only provides a vital service but also celebrates the rugged durability and rich history of vintage telecommunications technology.
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• Telstra 决定在澳大利亚全国范围内免费开放其所有付费电话网络，这在实践中成为真正的生命线，尤其对那些需要关闭手机以避免被追踪、从家庭暴力中逃离的人至关重要。
• 虽然总体使用量在下降，这些付费电话仍承担了大量拨打紧急服务和政府机构电话的业务，是宝贵的公共基础设施。
• 维持付费电话网络运行的成本部分由电话亭所带来的广告价值抵消，这也是 Telstra 继续维持该网络的关键商业动机之一。
• 许多 Telstra 电话亭现在还兼作免费的公共 WiFi 热点，为现有基础设施增加了另一层实用性。
• 有人对 FCC 拟议的法规表示担忧，该法规要求电话服务提供商收集用户的身份、地址和备用电话号码信息，但实际提案针对的是人工语音服务提供商，目的是打击自动电话诈骗，并非要求每次通话都提供身份证明。
• "了解你的客户"规则适用于服务提供商在注册或续签客户时的义务，而不是针对个别拨打电话的个人用户，尽管电信运营商仍对监管方向表达了担忧。
• 使用付费电话的用户与将号码转租给可能用于自动电话诈骗的客户之间存在明显区别，这影响了法规的适用范围。
• 讨论中流露出对付费电话文化的怀念，有人考虑在"小型免费图书馆"等社区场所增设 VoIP 型付费电话等设施，但也担心潜在的滥用和相关责任问题。
• "付费电话"这一术语仍然适用于此类硬件，无论是否需要付费，它代表了一种公共基础设施，并提供一些特定功能，如接线员协助和对方付费电话服务。
• 一些评论者回忆起几十年前与电话号码的个人连结，而现在大多数人在手机自动存储联系人之前，记住的电话号码远不如从前。
讨论的核心是：在数字时代，付费电话这种传统基础设施仍意外地保持着重要价值。 Telstra 的免费网络是一个显著例子，说明传统系统如何为弱势群体提供关键服务。对未来电话服务监管的担忧引发了关于"用户"与"客户"之间区别的讨论，大多数评论者认为拟议的反自动电话诈骗规则不会影响到付费电话的使用。讨论还涉及更广泛的话题，包括城市衰败、城乡生活质量的比较，以及不再需要记住电话号码这一文化变迁。 • Telstra's decision to make its entire payphone network free across Australia has proven to be a genuine lifeline, particularly for people fleeing abusive relationships who need to leave their mobile phones behind to avoid being tracked.
• The payphones handle a significant volume of calls to emergency services and government services, making them valuable public infrastructure despite declining general usage.
• The maintenance costs of keeping the payphone network operational are partially offset by the advertising value the physical boxes provide to Telstra, which serves as a key business incentive to maintain them.
• Many Telstra phone booths now double as free public WiFi hotspots, adding another layer of utility to the existing infrastructure.
• There's concern about proposed FCC regulations requiring ID, address, and alternate phone number information for phone service providers, though the actual proposal targets artificial voice service providers to combat robocallers rather than requiring ID for every individual call.
• The Know-Your-Customer rule would apply to service providers when signing up or renewing customers, not to individual users making calls, though telecom providers remain concerned about the regulatory direction.
• A distinction exists between being a user of a payphone versus being a customer who subleases a number for potential robodialing, which affects how regulations might apply.
• The discussion highlights nostalgia for payphone culture, with some considering projects like adding VoIP payphones to Little Free Libraries, though concerns exist about potential misuse and liability.
• The term "payphone" remains appropriate for the hardware type regardless of whether payment is required, as it signals public infrastructure and serves specific functions like operator assistance and collect calls.
• Several commenters share personal connections to phone numbers from decades past, with most people now memorizing far fewer numbers than they did before mobile phones stored contacts automatically.
The discussion centers on the unexpected continued value of payphone infrastructure in the digital age, with Telstra's free network serving as a notable example of how legacy systems can provide critical services for vulnerable populations. Regulatory concerns about future phone service requirements generate debate about the distinction between users and customers, with most commenters concluding that payphone users wouldn't be affected by proposed anti-robocall rules. The conversation also touches on broader themes of urban decay, quality of life comparisons between cities and rural areas, and the cultural shift away from memorizing phone numbers.