Ten years ago, only about 1-in-20 American homes were cellphone-only. By 2010, that rate had soared to 1-in-5. And according to the newest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of U.S. homes that have ditched landlines completely has doubled since 2010, and now stands at 41%. [More]
landlines
The New York Times Offers Helpful Explanation Of What A Phone Booth Is
By 7.7.14
The time has come, it seems, to sit the children down by the glow of the 55-inch flat screen TV set to the fireplace channel, and tell them all about what that weird looking metal and glass box used to mean to people. Yes, kids, we had to use landline telephones for many years, some inside one of these magical “booths.” The New York Times can explain. [via Jim Romanesko] [More]
Verizon Accused Of Deliberately Neglecting Landline Service To Push Customers To FiOS
By 3.24.14
It’s no secret that companies like AT&T and Verizon look at their aging copper landline networks as expensive dinosaurs of a pre-Internet age. But one advocacy group alleges that Verizon has allowed its copper lines to fall into disrepair in the hopes of pushing landline customers to Internet-based phone service. [More]
AT&T Announces First Two Locations For Tests Of Internet-Based Landlines
By 2.28.14
In January, the FCC gave landline telecom providers the go-ahead to begin tests of Internet-based phone service intended to replace existing copper-line phone networks. Today, AT&T finally revealed the two locations in which it would like to kick off its testing. [More]
FCC OKs Tests That Would Replace Copper Landlines
By 1.30.14
We told you earlier today that the FCC was scheduled to vote on whether or not to allow landline telephone service providers to initiate regional tests that would replace existing landline networks with Internet-based VoIP phone service. The Commission has met and agreed that it will permit regional tests to move forward. [More]
FCC To Consider Move Toward Ditching Existing Landline Networks
By 1.30.14
UPDATE: The FCC has met and voted unanimously to approve the tests. Telecoms now have until Feb. 20 to submit proposals and a final decision will be made in May. [More]
New Jersey Island Won’t Get Its Landlines Back After Sandy Because Copper Is Too Expensive
By 10.15.13
Gather close, you young folk, and listen to a tale of times past, when everyone had phones that connected them to the rest of the world through wires. In days gone by, people relied on these so-called landlines especially in times of natural disasters or power outages. As such, one New Jersey island’s residents are none too pleased that Verizon won’t reinstall its landlines after Hurricane Sandy destroyed the original lines. [More]
Verizon Decides To Not Force Sub-Par Service On New Yorkers Left Without Phones By Hurricane
By 9.10.13
Last fall, Hurricane Sandy tore through the Mid-Atlantic, leaving entire coastal towns in New York and New Jersey without landline service. Verizon only made it worse for some residents, choosing to test replacing the ruined copper-wire network with its craptastic Voice Link service. After months of complaints from residents businesses and concerns about public safety, Verizon has decided to abandon that test and replace the copper lines in Fire Island, NY, with fiber optic cable. [More]
Californians Paying 115% More For AT&T Landline Service Than They Did Before Deregulation
By 1.18.13
Supporters of removing price caps on utility services claim that deregulation will ultimately result in lower prices and more competition. But a new report claims that when California ditched pricing regulations on landline phone service, it only led to huge bill increases for AT&T customers. [More]
Majority Of U.S. Households Either Don’t Have Or Don’t Use Landline Phones
By 12.27.12
There are kids and teens out there that have never used anything other than a wireless phone (though these youngsters only seem to text). And many of us who can still remember their first cellphone call — “I’m calling… from the street!” — can’t remember the last time we used a landline at home. [More]
AT&T Upgrades DSL Customer To U-Verse, Slower Internet, Static
By 5.16.12
Cameron moved recently, but not all that far away. Just to another apartment within the same building. Not so bad. He’s been an AT&T DSL customer for six years, but the Death Star wants to wean customers off DSL and get them onto U-Verse. Cameron was told that he couldn’t be reconnected to DSL down the hall, so he upgraded to U-Verse. Only the upgrade is more of a downgrade. To lower Internet speeds and static on the phone line. [More]
Tales From The AT&T Landline Twilight Zone
By 5.15.12
Imagine an alternate dimension. One where you have phone service, but it isn’t working. You call AT&T your service provider, and their automated response system tells you that you aren’t an AT&T customer, and to call your actual provider. When you call up AT&T to wait for an actual human to sort this out, they call you back… to immediately put you on hold. [More]
FCC Approves Anti-Cramming Rules For Landlines, But Nothing Yet On Wireless
By 4.27.12
It’s been almost a year since the FCC finally got around to considering rule changes to keep landline phone service providers from padding customers’ bills with charges for third-party services that range from long-distance service to yoga classes. Today, the commission announced some new regulations — but they only goes so far in protecting consumers. [More]
4 Ways To Slash Phone Expenses
By 4.5.12
Your phone is not only a lifeline, entertainment device and communication portal to everyone you know, but it’s also a siphon that sucks money out of you monthly. Phone companies are counting on you falling into complacency with paying for unneeded services. [More]
Verizon: You Totally Need This Unnecessary FiOS Upgrade
By 3.21.12
Verizon really wants Sean to sign up for FiOS. Really, really wants him to sign up. He’s happy kicking it old-school with a regular old copper landline, and dumping the barrage of FiOS ads in the trash. So it was interesting when he got a letter apologizing for nonexistent “service issues” in his area and urging him to upgrade to the newer, shinier fiber optic network. The letter assures him that he can totally keep his current phone plan at its current price – even though the equivalent plan under FiOS is cheaper. [More]
How Our AT&T U-Verse Outage Lasted 5 Days Longer Than It Should Have
By 9.16.11
Ron has his AT&T U-Verse cable TV, Internet access, and phone lines working now, but only after spending most of the past week fighting with AT&T. He could have had access back on Saturday, the very first day of the outage, but an AT&T rep told him that sending a tech out to him on a Saturday was impossible. It’s not. They shipped a replacement for his malfunctioning gateway out via UPS. It got lost. Ron is frustrated, because he likes U-Verse. When it works. [More]
AT&T CSR: We'll Probably Refund Your Minimum-Use Fees If You Ask
By 8.26.11
Yesterday, we wrote about a new “minimum use” fee AT&T was charging to landline customers without long-distance service plans. Per the official company line, the only way to get around the fee is to make the equivalent amount in long-distance calls or pay another fee to remove access to long-distance from your account. But a CSR from AT&T tells Consumerist that you can probably get the fees credited back to your account if you just ask. [More]
Verizon Strike May Be Over, But Work Stoppage Will Hit Jobs Report
By 8.23.11
The 45,000 striking Verizon workers agreed to return to their jobs earlier this week while a contract is ironed out, but the time away from their posts could have far-reaching effects on the economy. Because the workers were off the job the week the Labor Department surveyed employers, they won’t count among the ranks of the employed for the August jobs report. [More]
