This isn’t terribly surprising:

With rising cell phone use and vandalism and neglect taking their toll, pay phones are disappearing around the nation. Consumer activists and advocates for the poor have protested the drop in numbers saying that public phones are necessary in emergencies and represent a lifeline for those who can’t afford a cell phone or even a landline.

There are plenty of people who still can’t afford cell phones, and access to phones is a public safety issue in city areas. Letting pay phones die because cell phones are becoming more popular is a terrible decision, and if private industry won’t provide pay phones then government should step in and provide them as a public service. It’s not as if the cost would be prohibitive.

This is even ignoring the fact that there are still plenty of communities that need pay phones because they don’t have adequate cell phone reception.