Los Angeles County is poised to spend close to $1 million to maintain its network of 241 pay phones, a move that contrasts with the phasing out of similar technology in other major cities.
The Los Angeles County Internal Services Department (ISD) has requested over $953,000 for a contract with LittleJohn Communications Inc. to ensure continued "pay phone services without disruption" at various county facilities, including parks, courts, sheriff facilities, and hospitals. The proposed contract would cover a five-year initial term, with options for extensions up to eight and a half years.
This expenditure is intended to cover maintenance, repairs, component replacement, routine inspections, coin collection, network troubleshooting, and vandalism repairs. The current contract is set to expire on September 30, with limited month-to-month extensions available.
Under the terms of the agreement, the county will receive 60 percent of the revenue from pay phones generating $100 or more per month. For phones generating less than $99.99 monthly, the county receives no revenue share but will pay a monthly maintenance fee of $54.95 per phone.
LittleJohn Communications Inc. was also awarded a county contract in 2019 for pay phone services, valued at nearly $1.2 million over five years with extensions.
The decision comes as other municipalities have moved away from pay phone technology. New York City, for instance, removed its last coin-operated public pay phone from Times Square in 2022. That location was subsequently updated with digital kiosks offering services such as free Wi-Fi, charging stations, and public information access.