And the Payphone Still Stood

For a couple months, I had thought of disconnecting my public payphone. Yes, the payphone that recently earned a small grant - through Virginia's Small Business Investment Grant program. Already displaced from its once-popular location at a strip mall, it has seen little use at its new location at a highway offramp. I was shaken back to my senses when the prolonged Verizon cellular outage occured. Every other use case seemed to render the payphone obsolete- confidentality (apps like Signal and the "burner phone" phenomenon), affordability (see the Obamaphone program), and access (99% national coverage by cell towers). But one use case remained: redundancy. I think in terms of redundancy. It is what makes commercial aircraft and oceangoing ships fit for their voyage. Lose an engine, and you can still limp home. The payphone, ironically supported by Verizon copper lines, still worked. But is there still a payphone network? In Portsmouth, Virginia, where my payphone is now located, there is a barebone network encompassing downtown. While the City sponsors phones at the phone exchange building and city hall, the system could be better maintained. This state of affairs is among the best in the state. These days, we all ride the one-trick pony called the cell phone.