News – A 129-year era is set to end at AT&T, as the telecommunications giant will exit the pay phone field by the end of next year, the company said in a written statement Monday.
Yea, i feel sorry for the poeple who won't get thier duffs off the couch and get a job. that's just what we need is more taxes to keep pay-phones in the poor "hoods". I make enough money, i should have to pay for an illegal-law breaking-non-citizens heath care too. Bite me. Besides, if you're in trouble and need help, ask the person standing next to you to use thier cell phone, daahhh. you ask the government to do everything else.
This ignorant comment needs a full reply -
Payphones were never supported by taxes - never ever ever
Payphone cluster around all kinds of areas - I know a middleclass shopping corner that has 10 of them, not a single welfy in sight
How is a poor, unemployed person going to get a job - can't afford a cell or home line till he works, but needs to check in on possiblillities, maybe even on an at-need job, so now he'll always be a welfy because you think he shouldn't be able to use a payphone
Personally I hope that you suffer the fate of many - get stranded with a dead battery and no one will let you use their cell because of their minutes or even better because the last guy ran of with their cell
You are an ignoramemus in just about everything you say - (so depending on how you would be more specific on the illigal H/C , we could discuss that, but somehow I have the feeling that a national healthcare system is what you refered to, which makes you again - ignorant.
Mr-opionion:
I agree with you 100%. A few years ago I was on vacation on Lake Superior. Anyone who lives in MN or Upper WI knows that cell phone service up there is spotting at best and in certain places crosses into International territory.
We had a flat tire. One of the people I was with is terminal. There were four of us. The cell phones wouldn't work. All four of us are white and did not look like we'd hurt anyone. Also, the MN state patrol is supposed to be by every hour by we must've missed them because we never saw them.
40 people drove by, not a one stopped to help, or offer the use of their cellphone. The resort we walked to, didn't have a phone we could use but did have someone help us put the donut on.
What the f* are you talking about, anyway?
I wouldn't loan a stranger my cell phone unless he was holding a gun on me.
So according to you're standards. I guess if you're lame,immobile, and bleeding in a street somewhere, and you needed my cell phone to make an emergency call, then I should ignore you, and just walk away right?
hopefully you would make that call
I no longer let others use my cell. mainly because they are trying to call someone for a ride home from the bar or trying to get them to join them for a few drinks. the next day the friend returns the call at 11am, for me that is 2-3hours after I go to sleep. I get really angry when I get deprived of my much needed (beauty) sleep.
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I was wondering when I would see the "extinction" of the pay phone.
I think it is a bad idea since there are some people with out cell or when the darn things battery goes dead!
I agree. Besides that, sometimes I forget my cell phone, and I'm always happy to find a pay phone in those situations.
I hate to think what would happen in an emergency, and the cell phone isn't around for any reason. You guys are right though.
Except for highly visible locations like restaurants or airports, just about everytime I wanted to use a payphone, it was vandalized to the point of being totally useless. If my cell is dead, I'll just have to beg to use some stranger's cell phone.
something to think about, how will the homeless be able to find jobs, housing, etc?
Almost every pay phone [ save 2-3 ] I went to use in the Boros of Manhattan , Bronx , Queens and Brooklyn didn't work . Or someone stuffed tissue paper in the return slot so your money wouldn't come out . They all had " Pray " scratched into the metal face , or " Worship God " by this person who had a right up in the Daily News back in 1992 . The half-booths were covered in grafitti and stickers . Sometimes there was no hand set ? Can't imagine why , Frustration maybe ? The same went for alot of the private pay phones as well . Except you had to pay double or triple the AT&T phones .
Thanks for the reply. It still didn't answer my question though.
I do work for an agency that provides a needed service (free voice mail; trying to figure out how to distribute cellphones) for our partner agencies, who in turn provide it for free for their clients.
Not all the homeless are drub addicted, nor live in a gang neighborhood.
My oldest daughter helps the homeless with a church group, and as you say "Not all the homeless are drub addicted, nor live in a gang neighborhood." It has opened her eyes to a small part of reality.
Hannibal:
Good job.
"Not all the homeless are drub addicted, nor live in a gang neighborhood."
No, only about 96%.
That must have been quite a while ago, Box. I use N.Y. City pay phones regularly and find that they are well over 90% functioning.
Yes Quackpot , you are correct . Say , late seventies into early ninties . The only place I could find a good phone was inside a store , hotel or bar . And the phones in the Soutj Bronx and Bed Sty couldn't receive calls due to the crack problem .
"something to think about, how will the homeless be able to find jobs, housing, etc?"
They don't find jobs or housing NOW with pay phones. Or with social services, welfare safety nets, job skills training programs, drug rehabilitation, free schooling, subsidized living and gobs and gobs of money thrown their way.
What makes you think not having pay phones will suddenly make a difference?
You know a lot of homeless shelters and transitional housing shelters have for the homeless to use. People come and go all the time. Messages don't get to the person. Most shelters are 24 hrs and they have to be up and out by 7am taking everything with them. Transitional housing is somewhat better, but could like getting the message from a fellow resident. Or the receptionist answers the phone "so and so shelter how may I direct your call?" Most employers and potential landlords hang up the phone.
Cont'd:
This still is my reply to saintetienne:
AS to social services, most of the 370 state wide partner agencies my agency provides services for have faced severe budget cuts and lay offs. Waiting lists for the the job skills programs if you qualify, most subsidized housing lists have stopped taking names for their waiting lists (landlords don't have to rent to people with a subsidized housing certificate), public housing has waiting lists and no there aren't gobs and gobs of money thrown their way.
I see the numbers everyday from people who having a voicemail helped them get a job, housing, into school, social workers, probation officers, doctors, children friends and family.
I worked with low income and many were homeless. None of them went without a phone. In my life time I've had a total of 4 hard-line phone numbers only changing when I married or moved. I've held the same cell phone number for 10 years. While the homeless and the poor might belong to the phone number of the month (or week) club, they never go without their phone.
jaem:
Wrong. Maybe where you live there are pay phones there aren't that may anywhere else.
Besides, how many agencies provide a phone for people to use? Have you seen the lines?
Get a clue. This is social discrimination.
Maybe this would be a good entrepreneurial enterprise that a private company could start. With technology and thinking outside the box, this endeavor might become successful.
Does that mean that' you're coming to New York Charlson?
;o)
oops... sorry eagle eye i hit the neg vote by mistake...
switch one to a good vote
i agree completely... there are plenty of times i don't have my cell with me for emergencies
hopefully some smart entrepeneur will come along with pay cell phones
"come along with pay cell phones"
Been out a while.
thogh that may be , and others will still carry the Payphone well into the next few decades it had to happen sooner or later and business is business. AT&T and local bells were restricted to 25c local call fees - thats 30 year ago pricing - resellers (independent providers) are not, so AT&T gets its 20c, without the hassle and independents get their 30c for the work ---- remeber someone has to collect, clean and repair all those drug dealer phones - they became worthless as far as I am concerned when they disalowed incomming calls, so when my friend found that mechanic he couldn't call me back (all because of dealers and pimps)
Drug dealer phones? You're thinking drug dealers are still using pay phones? Move out of the 1970's, dude.
Sure are. In Philly like a lot of Cites the pay phones are in the worst area of town. Only people who use them. Small time Drug dealers don't like the idea that police can tap their call with just a scanner.
Yeah. They removed pretty much all of them where I live due to street dealing.
Hey Puffin how about that dime bag I ordered? What's keepin' yo???
;o)
Sorry about that. I don't have a cell phone and it's like a 45 minute walk to the nearest pay phone. Then my guy has to roller blade down to the 7-11 to meet me. You should be getting your "Doobie Brothers" tape cassette in about a week, or so.
You just chill, Chuck.
; )
Awright but don't 'Bogart' me Holmes!
;o)
Actualy they occationally still are, though with pre-paid it's propably prety much been eliminated ...... but having said that ....
I will stick to the statement that that is why most payphones in cities do not accept incoming calls, demanded by the various police agencies --- propably boosting prepaid sales, and by now meaningless, but unfortunatelly not reversed in the payphone services)