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DKS
Damn Kidney Stones

join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON

DKS to Ian1

to Ian1

Re: This Is Why We Need Pay Phones

said by Ian1:

The idea of having Pay phones for when cell networks go down, is fine, in theory. But at what cost, and who pays?

Ah. The "economic" argument. According to the telcos, they are "expensive", but we all know how they skew their proposals to benefit their own agenda.

How about an independent financial review which will tell us the "real" cost as opposed to the "company" cost? And forget about "public service". Make it 100% cost recoverey. Where are the ReformaTories when you need a coherent (though not logical) free market agreement?

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

1 edit

LazMan

Premium Member

While hardly scientific - remember 10 years or so ago, when there were white-label payphones all over the place?

When's the last time you saw one? If there was still money to be made, you'd still see those 3rd party phones...

EDIT for typo

Ian1
Premium Member
join:2002-06-18
ON

Ian1 to DKS

Premium Member

to DKS
said by DKS:

said by Ian1:

The idea of having Pay phones for when cell networks go down, is fine, in theory. But at what cost, and who pays?

Ah. The "economic" argument. According to the telcos, they are "expensive", but we all know how they skew their proposals to benefit their own agenda.

How about an independent financial review which will tell us the "real" cost as opposed to the "company" cost? And forget about "public service". Make it 100% cost recoverey. Where are the ReformaTories when you need a coherent (though not logical) free market agreement?

Are you channeling elwoodblues See Profile?

How is this political? Who cares what the "ReformaTories" think, or the Liberals, or NDP? There's a reason why the phone companies don't want to maintain a large pay phone network at their (and their customers') expense. People no longer use them and put quarters in them. They have cell phones.

The company cost becomes our cost one way or the other. Even if those costs are altruistic or for a "public service".

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

How about emergency call boxes rather than payphones? I'm a younger guy here, but I still remember them along the highway when I was a kid.

Ian1
Premium Member
join:2002-06-18
ON

Ian1

Premium Member

said by Gone:

How about emergency call boxes rather than payphones? I'm a younger guy here, but I still remember them along the highway when I was a kid.

Do you want them badly enough to pay for them?

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

said by Ian1:

Do you want them badly enough to pay for them?

If it's part of an emergency communications network it might be worthwhile to consider. We all pay for e911 and no one would ever think of cutting back on that due to costs, after all.

We're lucky that in Southern Ontario we don't run into a lot in the way of disasters like some places in the US (or even Canada - read: Manitoba) do. Still, it doesn't mean we're completely immune to it. Saying something is too expensive can come back to royally bite you in the ass when that million to one shot happens and you need it.

DKS
Damn Kidney Stones

join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON

DKS to Gone

to Gone
said by Gone:

How about emergency call boxes rather than payphones? I'm a younger guy here, but I still remember them along the highway when I was a kid.

Every OPP station has one.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

said by DKS:

Every OPP station has one.

I would hope so. They used to have them mounted to the side of the highway on the Skyways and Burlington Street.