After almost three years without a working public pay phone for island emergencies, Cliff Island in Casco Bay is one step closer to reclaiming the once famous symbol of “Ma Bell” after a rousing public meeting Aug. 9.
With a burst of applause, members of the annual meeting of the Cliff Island Association (CIA) unanimously endorsed an official petition for a “public interest pay phone” under a new program offered by the Maine Public Utilities commission.
The Legislature created the Public Interest Pay phone program in 2005 through a bill sponsored by Rep. Herb Adams, D-Portland. Adams’s bill was inspired by complaints from Mainers who saw their town pay phones pulled by various phone companies as a cost cutting measure, including pay phones in his diverse and densely populated district made up of the Parkside and Bayside neighborhoods of Portland.
Initial support came from Cliff Island after islanders’ only pay phone was removed. “Verizon yanked our one island pay phone over our protests,” said Stevan Little, outgoing president of the CIA. “They said it wasn’t making them enough profit. They said we could have it back only if we paid them $75 a month guaranteed.”
In response, Cliff Islanders worked with Adams to draft a bill to create a “public interest pay phone” system for Maine, funded out of the Maine State Universal Service Fund. Adams worked with a fellow Portland Democrat, Rep. Boyd Marley, who represents the islands in the Legislature.
Over 40 Cliff Islanders signed the petition to the PUC officially applying for the phone service. “It was direct democracy in action,” said Marley. “While many of us take these services for granted, it is an invaluable asset to the community. Rep. Adams and I are honored to play a role in helping the community secure this Public-Interest phone. It was great to see.”
The island’s former pay phone, located outside the island’s community hall, is now a bare aluminum post with wires hanging from it, still labeled “Phone.” Lilac bushes have grown thick around it.