If you're in Boston without phone service, use this website to call your family
That's useful.This is one of those times when I remind people that it might be a good idea to get an amateur radio license and have a charged handheld always available.  If you do, you'll be able to talk to people locally (and halfway across the world) for free, with no centralized infrastructure to fail.  (All you have to do is get 26 out of 35 multiple choice questions correct and buy a $40 radio from Amazon.  Then, free communication forever.)--KD2DTW (/AE!)