“On Thursday, the Maine Public Utilities Commission will hold a public hearing on a rule change that would allow it to direct phone companies to install coinless phones around the state.”
Maine’s remotest areas often lack any cell phone coverage, but the rush to remove money-losing payphones has left some areas with no access to phone service in the event of an emergency.
Establishment of public interest payphones, discussed in the 1996 Telecommunications Reform Act, has long been at the discretion of individual U.S. States.
Maine’s proposal goes a step further. Described in this story as “pay phones,” Maine actually wants to make these phones absolutely free to consumers.
Free phones, supported by advertising, are becoming common in larger cities, but the remoteness of the locations in Maine make it hard to imagine advertisers being interested in sponsoring these phones.
This article mentions that the phone companies take a “dim view” of this legislation, but offers no comment from those companies.