< Mendocino: Pay phone removals provoke worries | | Wilkes-Barre: Law targets outdoor phones > Maine: Good Old Pay Phones October 08, 2006 This story describes how the residents of Cliff Island, Maine, took advantage of Maine's "Public Interest Payphone Program" to restore access to a public telephone in an area where cell phone coverage is spotty to non-existent. "... the new communications order has left some people in the lurch. Maybe they find themselves in one of the many [cell phone] dead zones. Or maybe they can’t afford or just plain don’t like cell phones. Some people on Maine’s offshore islands feel especially deprived." Similar programs exist from state to state, and were enacted as part of the 1996 Telecommunications Reform Act -- see the Establishment of Public Interest Payphones section. Rules for who might qualify for a Public Interest Payphone can differ significantly from state to state. Residents of rural or remote areas are encouraged to follow the example set by the residents of Cliff Island, Maine: if lack of access to phone service constitutes a public safety hazard then get your lawmakers involved. Read more at Bangornews.com