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Landlines Or Cell Phone? Residents Pull The Plug On Traditional Phones
August 6, 2017
Landlines are quickly going the way of rotary-dial phones in Florida.
A newly released state report showed that large numbers of Floridians continue unplugging the types of phone lines that were a fixture of life for decades. Instead, they are reaching into their pockets for mobile phones or using internet technology to chat with friends and family.
The shift away from traditional residential lines has particularly affected the three largest carriers — AT&T, CenturyLink and Frontier, which acquired Verizon’s landline business in the state. Along with using more wireless phones, customers also have shifted to using a type of internet technology known in the telecommunications world as “Voice over Internet Protocol.”
“The only calls we’d get on the AT&T landlines were solicitation calls. The prices kept rising. Had to make a choice, so we cut the cord,” said Debbie Burg of Cantonment in an informal NorthEscambia.com Facebook survey.
“Still have landline through Frontier, but only because cell service isn’t reliable where I live,” Holly McMorris of Walnut Hill said. Many people that responded to our survey said they keep their landlines because they are in rural location with poor cell service.
The report, produced each year by the Public Service Commission, said consumers are “able to find comparable services at reasonable prices” through the different types of technologies and providers in the industry. The report said there are an estimated 21.1 million wireless phones in Florida and 4.2 million Voice over Internet Protocol subscribers — while the state’s population was 20.6 million last year.
“Access lines for both residential and business customers have maintained a steady decline over the past several years,” the report said. “This contrasts with the continued growth in wireless-only households. While declines have occurred in the business market, they are partially offset by significant growth in business VoIP lines. Carriers are managing the shifts in market conditions by bundling services and providing a variety of pricing plans in an attempt to meet consumer demand and expectations.”
“Have had a corded phone in at least one room in the house for emergencies. If we lose power such as during the ice storm, or a tropical event, the cordless handsets no longer work. Cell service in a weather event can he hit and miss especially in Beulah. Landline corded phone always has my six,” said Beulah resident Tommy Hagren.
Several North Escambia residents reported keeping landlines because of compatibility with alarm systems, fax machines, medical equipment and other devices. Others found that they were paying for a landline not used, except by telemarketers.
“No landline, mainly due to telemarketers, just wireless,” said Sara Knighten of Bratt.
“We moved to Walnut Hill four years ago from Atmore. In Atmore, we did have a landline through Frontier. When we moved, we decided not to get a landline phone due to the fact we never used it at our old house, and only used our cell phones. When we did have our landline, the only people who called it were telemarketers or wrong numbers,” Lori Diller said.
Melissa McElhaney of Bratt said her family still has a landline. “I guess we like to be old school,” she said.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this NorthEscambia.com report.
Comments
21 Responses to “Landlines Or Cell Phone? Residents Pull The Plug On Traditional Phones”
When the weather is wet my landline was making incredibly loud crackly noises; further for LOCAL ONLY I was charged $53 a month which includes caller ID. Caller ID is not free. There were a few incidences people tried to call me the landline had this recording “no longer in service” due to glitches. Since landlines are so expensive and bad weather accounting for poor receiving, I switched to VOIP via Google Voice which is free and the signal is very strong. Granted if my Internet goes down so does the phone access…BUT I also have a cell phone as a backup. My cell phone also has 911 access. My Google voice costs nothing. I had to port my old landline number to mobile which I then ported that to Google voice.
My current phone number is the same on I had since my parents were alive and is decades old.
Landlines are by far superior to digital phones – VoIP or cellular. Landlines have a reliability of 99.999% that you don’t get with cell phones or VoIP. VoIP suffers the same problems as cell phones – dropped calls, static, loss of quality, etc. 50 years from now, I will ONLY have an analog landline in my home. No VoIP and no cell phones.
@My2Cents – your cell phone is probably irritating you because of the RF radiation coming out of it. Your cell phone manual actually tells you NOT to put it up to your head or in your pocket, and even then, levels are nowhere close to being remotely “safe”.
Why not both? I love landlines. I just wish they weren’t so expensive. Thankfully mine is through a bundle with the cable company. I hate talking on cell phones as they get hot and the earpiece is starting to irritate me. I like a landline.
You can register your landline or cell phone to not receive telemarketer calls by going to the National Do Not Call Registry site:
https://www.donotcall.gov/
or calling 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register.
I had a land line phone for years. Plus all my kids had cellphone, husband n I got cellphone. After they all graduate n move on ,we let the landline phone go. Because everyone stop calling the house,n started calling our cellphone. So we stop wasting $125.00 a month on frontier landline with internet. N just got there internet service for $42.00.
Upon recent FCC Regulation after Ivan and Katrina and Sandy, all Cell Tower sites are required by law to have 3 forms of Power as in a Back up gas, diesel or propane Generator’s And or Battery Backup Or Wind Turbine and or Solar Backup and the Power Grid itself Providing a (minimum) of 8 to 10 hours or more in storm prone locations. After which most providers have to deploy portable Cell towers now that are in areas of prolonged power outages.
@CW, Regarding Frontier, I am one such customer as I have what Frontier calls Dry Loop or Stand alone Dsl Internet without phone service, Which cost’s between 19.99 and 29.99 depending on the speeds you go for. E911 or Enhanced 911, Use’s Either Gps and Cell tower triangulation allowing between 50 to 150 meter (170 Feet) accuracy on average and or the Address on file for that Account.
@ “Grand Locust” Having a landline doesn’t mean that’s the only phone they have; sometimes it means they have all bases covered. When Ivan came through, our cell provider lost two towers that serviced our area. Our landline never failed.
Hope your AOL comment makes you feel clever.
“The only calls we’d get… were solicitation calls” Me, too. Now, I get them on my cell phone. There ought to be a law against telephone solicitation.
I don’t have a landline but I do have the AOL account. Had it for years, never cost me a dime. Cannot justify $40.00 + monthly for a service I never utilize, and which is not reliable on a clear day.
We have Frontier but do not have AOL account. We had landline and cell phone use after Hurricane Ivan. We have a jumpstart and it has an outlet to plug in cell phone which I did prior to Hurricane Ivan landing.
Perhaps I’m wrong, but I don’t believe you can have internet through Frontier without having landline service, or at least that’s what they told me. I like to watch Netflix and Amazon movies, so I need fast and uninterrupted Internet.
And like others have mentioned, I also remember having no cell service after hurricane Ivan. I can imagine how it would be even worse now, as everyone tries to make calls at the same time and jams up the signals.
I have a theory that those who have land lines have an AOL email account.
My grand-kids think I am the craziest grandmother on earth. They are too young to remember when I had to carry a cell phone for business and hated it. Threw 4 of them in a drawer when I quit working too I have my own cell phone museum. I do not own a cell phone. I am the one who watches carefully for the people who do and use them while driving. I hope the land lines will live as long as I do. We lived just fine before cell phones were invented We weren’t nervous wrecks either.
We got a landline as part of a discount cable bundle. The only reason we keep it is that it allows our address to be located in the event of an interrupted or silent 911 call.
What happens if there is a fire or other emergency? How does E-911 work on the cell phones. Our landlines connect our address directly if ever 911 is called and someone will respond even if the one calling passes out etc.
I want a landline because when a hurricane comes through and knocks out the cell towers at least I can still make phone call of course no one will answer because they only have a cell phones..lol but emergency services will still answer
Keeping mine. It works! Always there. In an emergency pick it up hit 911 and someone is coming, dont have say a word. Have caller id, shows on my tv, wonderful feature. Voice quality is far better than cell. I have a cell for use away from the house but hate that thing. My cell still not working right after the storm, says no service at times, dropping calls. The land line worked after ivan, nothing else did. Neighbors were coming to my house to make calls. Old school and like it.
William, maybe you can answer this and have some info on compliance locally.
Of course if there is no requirement we’re as vulnerable as the day before Hurricane Ivan hit us.
Hurricane Ivan caused the cell phone towers to not work as their battery backups went down which left hundreds of thousands of us unable to communicate with family, First Responders and our insurance companies.
Hurricane Ivan caused the power outages which kept our gasoline stations from being able to pump fuel for our vehicles and generators which were in some cases needed for life sustaining health-related equipment in homes.
After the mess caused by being so horribly UNPREPARED wasn’t there a mandate from the State of Florida that cell towers and gasoline stations were to be outfitted with backup generators to prevent downed batteries and inability to pump fuel?
My parents still have a landline mainly just because all of our family know the number by heart and I suppose because it’s just always been the main way we get ahold of them. I’ve had a cell phone since 18 and I’m 32 now and I’ve never had a landline. Not at any apartment I’ve lived in and not at my house now; my wife and I just have no need for one. Why have to go to a stationary phone when you can have one on you at all times? And it plays games!!! It’s a win-win situation!!!
Love my landline