Pay phones, like landlines, are mostly a thing of the past. Yet a rebuilt blue kiosk along Southeast César E Chávez Boulevard in Portland stands out.
Fourteen phones like this one are dotted around Portland providing a simple way to make free calls and access information, thanks to Futel, a nonprofit run by volunteers. From their cell phones, these volunteers act as live operators, answering questions and providing directory assistance when someone dials 0. The phones, which can be identified by their Futel signage, all provide free service to anywhere in North America. Anyone can use them to make a call by simply dialing “1” first.
A phone can be the one tool connecting people in poverty to information about work, food donations or a place to sleep. However, not everyone has a cell phone, and it takes time and resources to keep one charged and working.
Nine years ago Karl Anderson launched Futel as a way to provide free phone service 24 hours a day for anyone in need.
“We’re the fastest growing free pay phone company in America,” Anderson said. “It’s easy to compete in business if you’re not making money.”
With recorded directions in Spanish and English, the phones also provide voicemail, connection to social services and interactive audio art. Ten of the public phones are outside, one is inside Bottles and Cans on North Greeley and one is inside Upright Brewing on North Broadway. Anderson considers Futel to be an intersection of art and communication.
“I’m a geek and a software engineer,” Anderson said. “I have done creative stuff with salvaged (materials). This project is the last step before things get melted down and thrown away. We buy VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) boxes and routers that are obsolete. We salvage parts from VoIP boxes.”
Putting this together is relatively low cost. The phones work over VoIP and the parts are inexpensive and hard to break but replaceable. Anderson salvages phone booths and, with permission, places almost all the phones on private property, adjacent to the sidewalk and accessible from the sidewalk at all hours. Phone calls go over the internet. Along with 911 services, Futel purchases bulk phone service by the minute and gives it away.
Who’s on the phone?
When he first started Futel, Anderson installed a phone near the Springwater Corridor in Southeast Portland. There was no logo or advertising of any kind, but soon word spread and after about two weeks people started using the phone regularly. This was a neighborhood with a large number of homeless people. People left thank you notes for the phone service.
A map on the Futel website, which is updated annually, shows all 14 Portland phone locations as well as a phone in Detroit and one in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Another phone is in Long Beach, Washington.
“When COVID hit, Detroit was off the hook with a lot of people with no jobs,” Anderson said. Activity on that phone continues, although it is now up and down.
Of 12 phones in Portland, the ones getting the most action are in a St. John’s neighborhood with lots of foot traffic, on North Williams Street and on Southeast Taylor Street.
When someone dials “0,” operators get a call on their cell phones. Everyone gets a ring and whoever picks up takes the call. They use their cell or computer to look things up in order to answer questions, Anderson said. It is up to the operator’s discretion as to how long they will talk to someone who just wants to chat.
“We used to get a lot of people that ask for social services but now there’s the 211 number,” Anderson said. “The operator has to help people that need help, asking an actual question. Some people just want to talk about whatever.”
Urban furniture
Art comes into play for Futel with “urban furniture,” an idea Anderson has written about and which inspired him to create the nonprofit.
“For our purposes, urban furniture will refer to the collection of physical features deployed in the public environment and oriented towards pedestrian activity for the purposes of providing or removing amenities,” according to an article by Anderson on the Futel Tumblr page.
Futel phones fall into the category of urban furniture with the purpose of providing accessibility to anyone passing by. These phones may also cause observers to remember a time in their own lives when pay phones were used frequently and an everyday sight, giving them a chance to think about their evolving relationship with their environment.
“We have a role in shaping not only the urban environment, but perceptions of the forms of the city and the forces behind them. And all we had to do was run a phone company for nine years,” Anderson said in the article.
Anderson considers Futel to be an art project as well as a social service. He has posted typed rants in some of the phone kiosks for people to read and also publishes a zine, “Party Line,” through Microcosm Publishing. It contains vintage photos of phones along with articles and commentary.
In 2020, in partnership with Open Signal, a media arts center in Portland, Futel shared “Hold the Phone,” an art installation with recordings from featured artists sharing stories, available on Soundcloud. Some of these are historical perspectives from homeowners and business owners in North Portland during the civil rights movement and amid gentrification.
“This is a social service but the art makes it interesting,” Anderson said.
Maintaining service
“At Futel, we believe in the preservation of public telephone hardware as a means of providing access to the agora for everybody, and toward that goal we are privileged to provide free telephone calls, voicemail, and telephone-mediated services,” according to the Futel website.
In order to stick to this mission, Futel maintains the phones and updates repairs. Anderson is always on the lookout for fundraising opportunities, wiring, cement and donated parts to keep the phones in good condition.
Weather can take a toll on phones, along with other impacts.
Sometimes there is graffiti or vandalism on the structures. Vandals have used a crowbar and a drill to damage phones, along with attempting to stuff the coin return. There has been occasional evidence of drug use near some phones.
These incidents are not deterrents. Anderson intends to keep Futel’s system robust because people depend on it.
“Nothing will last forever but the important thing is when a phone goes down I know I can fix it,” Anderson said. “The main thing is to not put them out there if they're going to be busted.”
Behind the scenes, Anderson rounds up grants to keep the company going with a team of about seven volunteer operators. He has received several arts grants and appreciates volunteer efforts.
“There are not that many geeks who want to work at a phone company for free,” Anderson said. “We don’t want anyone to feel over-extended.”
One operator in Portland, Emily, said she has been volunteering for about five years and takes five to 10 calls a week. About half of the calls are people looking for phone numbers or information about hours and locations of places. The other half are children playing with the phone. She enjoys hearing them giggle when they discover a person is on the other end.
“I was an operator for big offices before and it is great to offer my skills as a volunteer,” Emily said.
Free cell phones
Technology is a resource people depend on; having a phone and service is often a necessity. There are some options for people who can’t afford a cell phone or service, but they are limited.
One example is the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which offers internet connection at a discount to people who qualify as low-income. However, the funding for this is ending soon, which will be a setback. The program will not be accepting new applications and enrollments after February 7, 2024.
Many people use a federal program, Lifeline, which provides discounted phones and services as long as applicants can present proof of eligibility. The application asks for a home address and Social Security number. They accept official documents verifying income status. For those without these documents, this can be a challenge.
The future of Futel
The future of Futel depends on the continuous effort of dedicated individuals and Anderson’s engineering skills. He plans to keep the current system going and slowly expand.
Futel is always looking for other partnerships and places to put phones. They currently have a partnership with Right 2 Dream Too, allowing them to help many homeless people in one location.
“It’s giving communication tools to people, and what’s important to me is that it’s radically accessible,” Anderson said.
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