Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

Engineer’s Brilliant Idea Gives Rural Areas Free Phone Access With Retro Charm

Patrick Schlott, an electrical engineer living in rural Vermont, realized his community had a serious problem when he discovered there was no cell phone service for 10 miles in either direction from his home. The creative engineer decided to put his skills to work by buying old pay phones at flea markets and auctions for $100 to $500 each, then fixing them up in his basement workshop. He removes the coin mechanisms and connects the phones to internet service, creating completely free calling stations that he calls “RandTel” for communities in need. His first installation outside the North Tunbridge General Store has been such a success that community members have reached out requesting more phones in their areas.

So far, Schlott has installed three free phones at locations including the Latham Library in Thetford and an information booth in Randolph off Interstate 89, with another installation planned at the Brownell Library in Essex. The phone at the library has been especially popular, with 370 calls made in just five months, mostly from students without cell phones calling their parents for after-school pickups. Store owner Mike Gross says people are amazed when they discover the pay phone actually works and costs nothing to use, with stranded motorists and others in need regularly taking advantage of the service. Schlott continues to cover all the costs himself and even acts as an operator when people dial zero, proving that sometimes the best solutions combine old technology with generous hearts.

PrevPreviousSpace Rock Reveals Incredible Mix Of Life’s Essential Ingredients
NextTwelve-Year-Old Beluga Whale Makes Amazing Recovery After Historic SurgeryNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

Communities Across America Are Banning AI Data Centers And The Number Just Jumped From 8 To 78

May 10, 2026

According to the U.S. Data Center Moratorium Tracker, communities across the country have been pushing back against the rapid expansion of AI data centers with growing success, with the number of active bans and moratoriums jumping from just 8 in May 2025 to 78 today, including 50 active restrictions and

Read More
Happy News

An Alaska Animal Shelter Lets You Borrow A Dog For 48 Hours And It Is Leading To More Adoptions

May 10, 2026

The Anchorage Animal Care and Control shelter in Alaska launched a program in spring 2025 called Tails on Trails that has since become one of the most talked-about shelter initiatives in the country, pairing volunteers with a shelter dog for 48 hours and sending them out to explore the trails

Read More
Happy News

Scientists Gave Monkeys A Reward-Free Video Game And They Played Nearly 100 Rounds Anyway

May 10, 2026

Researchers at Kyoto University’s Institute for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior set out to test whether curiosity in Japanese macaques follows the same pattern observed in humans, and what they found should resonate with anyone who has ever gone down a late-night internet rabbit hole for no practical reason

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.