Copper Land line home phones-Straight Talk

[AKsuited]

Remember how the power would go out for days and the phone would still work? You lose that if you switch from copper, you have to power fiber, the telco/ISP will not.

So then you turn on your cell phone.

I am saving $89 - $12.50 = $76.50/month by giving Verizon landline the boot. We can eat out several times per month for that. I also have caller ID on my BasicTalk that I didn't have on the landline from Verizon. I no longer answer telemarketers and other crank calls.

Harry

 

[cehlbeck]

With a wired phone, a call to 911 is spot on for location. I would like to change something here but haven't found a combination that makes sense yet.
OM

We had Vonage for a number of years. They required a physical street address for the service and it was for 911 and E911. During set up it even showed what they found to be your 911 center and since ours was correct I never looked into it further. We made one call during that time to the Sheriff's Dept and they asked "do you want the Deputy to come to.....?" and it was our correct address.

 

[cehlbeck]

I'm currently with DSL, which I think prevents me from canceling land line phone service. I have canceled land line long distance.

We're on AT&T's U-Verse here for TV and internet. Phone service is not required and they never even tried to sell it other than offering it. However they are relentless about trying to get me to add AT&T Wireless to the bundle. Sorry, I'm not leaving Verizon (Big Red) for that.

Before U-Verse, we had Comcast for TV and AT&T/Bellsouth DSL only without a land line phone so it can be done.

 

[omega man]

Found this aging thread, the other day.......
I find I have a hum on my copper land line so I call Verizon repair
I have been messing with phones for a long time so a call like this is always
Women says "we will have to sent a technician to your house to convert you to fiber optics to clear this up"
I say "it sounds like you are trying to force me into Fios"? She says "well Fios has some great plans". I say "if you are going to force me into anything, it will be full Comcast- cuz I have no love for either of you".
Cue the silence........"well let me check the line and call you back"
The call-back tells me the problem is in the street (I probably know where) and they don't have to have a technician come to my house
It's bad business IMO to operate like this, whatever happened to having something so good that customers wanted it?
OM

 

[36654]

the reciprocal agreement with my neighbor that we monitor each other.

Works great in my neighborhood.......

 

[akbeemer]

We have no landline and have not for the past 3+ years. We do not miss it at all. We don't get political or commercial calls on our mobile phones and I never answer a call I do not recognize by name. Internet service and TV are provided by satellite.

 

[PGlaves]

We live 53 miles from town, beside the highway, in the Chihuahuan Desert. We have no cell phone service at the house. We can obtain a cell phone signal 50 or so miles north of us (just outside Alpine) or 25 miles south of us (in Study Butte). Thus we have a land-line.

The copper from the house connects to the fiber optic line in the ROW about 7/10 mile from the house. Our internet is DSL with options for 1.5, 3, 6, or 12 mbs. These are slow speeds compared to much of the world including a number of "3rd world" countries, and certainly compared to most urban U.S. cable systems. Nonetheless the internet works well enough to communicate, to browse, and to even watch video or the occasional movie.

I could be convinced to drop the land line, use satellite internet, and a cell phone if, and only if, the cellular service in the American west rose to the standards found throughout countries such as Botswana and Namibia.

 

[36654]

Our internet is DSL with options for 1.5, 3, 6, or 12 mbs. These are slow speeds compared to much of the world including a number of "3rd world" countries, and certainly compared to most urban U.S. cable systems.

standards found throughout countries such as Botswana and Namibia.

I live 4-hrs west of NYC. My DSL is the same. and the satellite option is limited by our massive mountains.

I'm really glad the REA occurred in the 1930's and the Interstates started in the 1950's. Otherwise, my electricity would be provided by the cow walking on the treadmill and you really would need a GS.

 

[Bud]

We used to pay $40/mo for land line. Ditched it years ago. Hey, that's almost two new sets of tires for my RT!

 

[dennisdarrow]

Bud,

What are you talking about? Is there a trade name associated with that service?

Jon

Here is the answer I hope............. I will give it a try as no one else has.....Each area has their own "carrier" or vendor going by many names. Here it is "Iwisper"......Basically "wireless" internet is a line of sight radio signal broadcast from a tower that is usually on the highest point around. Range from that tower can be as much as 20 miles; but less is better. Just as with the satellite reception, one is "budgeted" how much one can upload and download. That varies from carrier to carrier. Usually the transmission of what YOU send is over the same antenna going out, so one does NOT need that hard wire at all.

The outfit comes to your house and mounts a very directional antenna pointed at their tower. The installation, azimuth, and height of the antenna is VERY sensitive. Then they run the cable to more or less a "modem"/reciever in your home. From this you can go to a regular router/hub/computer. Yes, one can download movies and high demand stuff; but you pay for that ability.

We had it for awhile as we are wayyyy out in the sticks on the end of the power line and we hang the phone up outside on a tree.........The system worked great for us with the exception of stormy weather/lightning. This would knock the signal off for awhile. FINALLY ATT saw fit to enable us to get DSL so we dropped the "radio" system...........Yes, it is expensive but it kinda is what it is.......

http://iwispr.net/index.php/internet/ Scroll down to the bottom of the page for some questions and answers...........


...God bless........Dennis

 

[dennisdarrow]

We used to pay $00/mo for land line. Ditched it years ago. Hey, that's almost two new sets of tires for my RT!

Wowser...........that is a deal..............

For us, hold your seat folks............Close to $229 a month for land line, smart phone, old fashioned cell phone, 3G internet, long distance, local tax. Another $93 for "Dish" and then add in $24 for Netflix.............I like to think "it's only money; but often it occurs to me that I sure could use those dollars someplace else. This thread is surely timely and gives excellent food for thought....God bless............Dennis

 

[akbeemer]

My elderly aunt has a land line at her retirement home that is in my name. $37 per month for the basic service; $21 is tax.

 

[36654]

Wowser...........that is a deal..............

For us, hold your seat folks............Close to $229 a month for land line, smart phone, old fashioned cell phone, 3G internet, long distance, local tax. Another $93 for "Dish" and then add in $24 for Netflix.............I like to think "it's only money; but often it occurs to me that I sure could use those dollars someplace else. This thread is surely timely and gives excellent food for thought....God bless............Dennis

1) 29/mo for the mid range DSL (6~7MPS)
2) 21/mo for land line
3) 23/mo for 13-channel cable (FCC mandated minimum package)
4) work covers my intellectually challenged cell (min possible data plan)
5) Wife has a one-year prepaid plan on a flip phone.

Life seems pretty good here in the 20th century...........


I, forgot the real luxury.......the 3-DVD plan with netflix. That I would really miss......

 

[2bikers1collie]

I dropped the copper land line somewhere back in 2009 I think.
Our Cell bill (AT&T) with 20 GB if data (got a free upgrade from 10GB for some reason) is $181. I have three iPhones on the plan.

If I needed a phone for a alarm to call a company, I'd probably just use a vonage or similar device that has a jack for a regular phone line.

 

[mika]

If memory serves I droped my land line in 2006/7. I have used a variety of systems since then. For the past four years WiFi has been part of the monthly fees in my small condo building. The way association dues are reported does not make it very easy to break down my costs for that. On the plus side our monthy dues have been going down over the same period.

It is tax time so I have been pulling together expenses.
MagicJack - $40/yr - use at home and on the road with their iPad app.
Pre-paid cell - $90 last year
Skype - $0.00

911 - MagicJack and other services have options to provide 911 service. In the past I managed a company that did call routing software development for 911 and other services. That said I have never made a 911 call myelf that was not related testing for that job. I currrently don't have it set up on any of my devices.

Power was a concern at first. After about year two I realized I spent far more time trying to remember where my flashligt and extra batteries were so I could read, than I ever did online or calling during a power outage. (I bought a crank emergency radio with my year 3 savings).

With voip apps available to turn tablets into phablets and wifi becoming ubicqutous I have been considering dump the prepaid.

 

[ricochetrider]

Found this aging thread, the other day.......
I find I have a hum on my copper land line so I call Verizon repair...

It's bad business IMO to operate like this, whatever happened to having something so good that customers wanted it?
OM

Right? Whatever happened to competition? To choices? To Customer Service? To customer friendly policy?

Verizon. Bleh. Comcast. Double bleh. But these are the choices for urban or suburban high speed internet. Well OK ATT in some markets.
Lah-de-da, 3 whole options. A rural-living buddy of mine had Hughes net satellite internet for a while- but their so-called FAIR ACCESS POLICY killed the deal for him, severely limiting his downloads.

If somebody could come up with spans thing, the big 2 would definitely crush them. No small company could ever hope to out-lawyer cumcast or ver*zon.

Even the Supreme Court gives in to them.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/27/us-usa-court-comcast-classaction-idUSBRE92Q0MS20130327

Or rules against individual, small companies trying to beat the Big Two:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/26/business/media/supreme-court-rules-against-aereo-in-broadcasters-challenge.html?_r=0

 

[36654]

Right? Whatever happened to competition? To choices? To Customer Service? To customer friendly policy?

Verizon. Bleh. Comcast. Double bleh. But these are the choices for urban or suburban high speed internet. Well OK ATT in some markets.
Lah-de-da, 3 whole options. A rural-living buddy of mine had Hughes net satellite internet for a while- but their so-called FAIR ACCESS POLICY killed the deal for him, severely limiting his downloads.

If somebody could come up with spans thing, the big 2 would definitely crush them. No small company could ever hope to out-lawyer cumcast or ver*zon.

Even the Supreme Court gives in to them.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/27/us-usa-court-comcast-classaction-idUSBRE92Q0MS20130327

Or rules against individual, small companies trying to beat the Big Two:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/26/business/media/supreme-court-rules-against-aereo-in-broadcasters-challenge.html?_r=0

Hmm.......competition gave us what we have.

 

[PGlaves]

Hmm.......competition gave us what we have.

As long as enough people tolerate bad service, slow service, high prices, and data limits that is what they will give us.

 

[36654]

As long as enough people tolerate bad service, slow service, high prices, and data limits that is what they will give us.

Sounds like the railroad service provided before the construction of the Interstates..........

 

[Bud]

We used to pay $00/mo for land line. Ditched it years ago. Hey, that's almost two new sets of tires for my RT!

After Dennis noticed my typeo, I corrected the cost to $40/mo.

My phat phyngers sometimes don't work so well when typing.

The US is so far behind other countries in inexpensive, universal internet access. Net Neutrality is certainly a topic that is getting a lot of attention from lawmakers and lobbyist. With states passing laws to prevent municipalities from providing internet services, it's easy to understand if one follows the money.