Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Tuesday, August 05, 2025

Patrick Schlott often finds himself in a cellular dead zone during his drive to work. "You go down the road, you turn the corner and you're behind a mountain and you'll lose cell coverage pretty fast," he says. The 31-year-old electrical engineer says poor reception is a common frustration for residents of Vermont's Orange County. To address this issue, he's providing his community with a new way to stay connected.

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... Schlott has taken old pay phones, modified them to make free calls, and set them up in three different towns across the county. He buys the phones secondhand from sites like eBay and Craigslist and restores them in his home workshop.

With just an internet connection, these phones can make calls anywhere in the U.S. or Canada " no coins required. And Schlott covers all the operating costs himself.

"It's cheap enough where I'm happy just footing the bill," he says. "You know, if I'm spending $20 a month on, say, Netflix, I could do that and provide phone service for the community. And to me, that's way more fun."

Since Schlott installed the first phone in March last year outside a general store in the town of Tunbridge, Vt., hundreds of calls have been made.

"I knew there would be some fringe cases where it would be really helpful," he says. "But I never expected it to get daily use and for people to be this excited about it."

He says the phones have come in handy for drivers whose cars have broken down nearby. And at a public library in Thetford Center -- the most used installation by far -- kids have been able to call their parents for rides home or simply to check in. ...



#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-08-05 09:08 PM | Reply

Patrick Schlott is a mensch.

#2 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2025-08-05 09:29 PM | Reply

@#2

Agreed.

In his case, using his knowledge to help others.


#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-08-05 09:44 PM | Reply

This is really cool!

#4 | Posted by Bluewaffles at 2025-08-05 10:25 PM | Reply

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