So angry I could spit fire

[arjay]

I've been having off and on problems with my land line. I can't get incoming calls, outgoing calls full of static and cut out. Its usually after a good rain and generally clears up after a couple of days.
My land line is my primary number. That's what almost everybody uses to contact me. So its important that it works.
Finally called the repair number. Somebody is supposed to come look at it by the end of next week.

I bought my mom an iPhone about 12 yrs ago and was able to coordinate cancelling her landline and transferring the same number to her new cell phone

 

[delcrossv]

Got VOIP from the cable company to replace my POTS line. Saved 120 bucks a month and it's reliable.

 

[cmj8591]

Sir, ya ever tried to use a cell phone when the power is out? I still maintain pay to have a landline, it's peace of mind. Over the last 25+years it has worked "each time & every time" I've had to use it.

Land lines aren't what they used to be. I have one that I use to talk to the Pakistani IRS agent who's on his way to arrest me if I don't give my credit card number. They used to be powered by generators at phone company switching stations. That's why they still ran when the power went out so long as the wire was not broken. Now the phone is plugged into an electrical outlet in my house. If the electricity goes out, there is a battery box that will power the phone for about an hour. After that, it's tin cans and string. I can't even begin to explain why I keep it because I really have no use for it. My cell phone, on the other hand, always works when the power is down. I just need to keep it charged which I can do with one of my vehicles if need be.

 

[LVSteve]

The OP's story is similar to mine with my ex-cable company.

 

[Oldengineer]

Most cell phone carriers have backup power (generators) at their sites. They know that when the power goes off, they have about 24-48 hours of battery before the radio gear goes dark. That’s where the generator takes over. Unfortunately, the generator has a limited amount of fuel. During Hurricane Katrina, the cell tower’s battery bank was depleted, the generators that weren’t under water ran out of fuel, and there were no diesel fuel trucks to replace the generator fuel.

My point is that cell phones are a temporary solution when the power goes off for extended periods of time. It’s a bigger problem than the battery in your phone. So, communication during a serious and prolonged emergency is not a given.

 

[cmj8591]

Most cell phone carriers have backup power (generators) at their sites. They know that when the power goes off, they have about 24-48 hours of battery before the radio gear goes dark. That’s where the generator takes over. Unfortunately, the generator has a limited amount of fuel. During Hurricane Katrina, the cell tower’s battery bank was depleted, the generators that weren’t under water ran out of fuel, and there were no diesel fuel trucks to replace the generator fuel.

My point is that cell phones are a temporary solution when the power goes off for extended periods of time. It’s a bigger problem than the battery in your phone. So, communication during a serious and prolonged emergency is not a given.

Where I am, the cell site generators are plumbed into the natural gas system so their fuel supply is pretty big. The ones that are in places without gas service are either diesel or propane powered. I believe they all are fuel flexible. Katrina was more about bad management of the infrastructure than bad hardware.

 

[SMSgt]

When hurricanes Frances and Jeanne used my house for target practice in 2004, my landline lasted 3-4 days afterwards until the backup batteries for AT&T died. The cell service failed when the first winds hit. I still have a landline.

 

[lihpster]

Well, the phone is back up and working. How did I find out? Got a call on my cell phone from one of the techs working on the outage asking if it was working. Seems like the guys in the field are always better than the office staff. Even at customer service, which is what the office staff is for. No way to run a railroad, in my opinion.

 

[Doug M.]

The people who do the work are usually more invested in the people they help, and more aware of what is going on.

My wife and I have cell phones and no landline, and I have a cell for my consulting company for the future. All in one bill, works fine. I have to be able to be reached at any time for the office and for potential transplants. A landline would not be productive. I got called last night by a client with a relatively urgent question. It was sitting on the desk next to me with the Sirius going, plugged in and charging. ( I am not in the office during conventional hours due to my kidney treatment, but am available by phone and email while at home; I usually get to the office sometime around noon and work through lunch 'til 7 or so.) I can get by with this in part because I read fast and make decisions pretty quickly, plus no one else is interested in my duties.

 

[TX-Dennis]

We dropped landline many years ago in favor of a VOIP (internet) "landline." Almost all home (and business) phones are VOIP these days rather than traditional wirelines. A few years ago I finally dropped the VOIP line after realizing all our friends and family called on the cellphones, and we only got scams and sales calls on the home phone.

 

[Buford57]

I maintain a land line fax solely to satisfy a contract requirement. I actually use it about once per quarter and every year at least one of those times it will be out and take a week to fix. Costs me $750 per year. When I drop out of the contract at the end of this year it is history. Phone companies that have decided not to make new landline connections don't see much benefit in maintaining their existing customers. Telephone repair will soon join telegraph operator and lamplighter in the index of obsolete occupations.

 

[Narragansett]

I will be dropping my land line in the very near future. Cable TV too.

Cell phone and streaming

 

[Kanewpadle]

“All circuits are busy”

Remember that? I wouldn’t count on land lines or cellphones during an emergency. So why have both?

I suppose that there could be exceptions but I can’t think of any. Haven’t had a land line for 15 years.

 

[luvsmiths]

I don't understand that question . Cell sites usually have generators . Your cell phone can be charged a dozen different ways . What's the difficulty ?

You realize you're asking this question to someone who still has a "landline" right?

 

[rockquarry]

You realize you're asking this question to someone who still has a "landline" right?

It seems kind of a luxury not to be too dependent on any sort of phone. It's pleasant when phones don't ring; it's no big disadvantage to be unreachable at times. I carry a cell phone sometimes but I'd certainly dislike always having one on my person or within easy reach.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I have an ICD, AFib and CHF. I am never without my cellphone. Especially while walking alone.

Besides, I wouldn't want to miss an update on TS and TK.

 

[31FordA]

January of ‘23 a tree fell at our club knocking down the phone and electric lines. Electric company had the electric line put back up in two hours. I called the phone company, Frontier, and had the following conversation:

Me: “Our phone line was knocked down and is laying across our driveway, we need it fixed”

Frontier Rep: (Indian accent) “Have you tried jiggling your phone connection to see if this resolves your problem?”

Me: “Ummm, no. Could I speak with a supervisor?”

After over twenty minutes Frontier says a crew will be there in two weeks. I take a day off work, they never show. Call and get told they had no record of a problem, but they’ll have a crew out in another two weeks. Again a no show. Then told they’ll be there in March.

A couple of us drag the line out of the drive and secure it to a tree so our members can use the club. March arrives and Frontier advises it could be a year before they can restore our phone service. We cancel our phone service, pay for a wireless alarm system and set up Google voicemail.

In August the state holds a public hearing about Frontier. The hearing goes on for several hours of angry customers, and right before it’s my turn to testify one of the other angry customers drops with a massive heart attack, ending the hearing. I tell my story to a Frontier engineer sent to the hearing to minimize the bad press. Three days later a crew arrives and cleans up the downed phone lines. Frontier may be the worst phone company in America, based on all the testimony I sat through.

 

[Golddollar]

Not only do I have a landline, but the phone has this round thing on it.

 

[wood714]

Sir, ya ever tried to use a cell phone when the power is out? I still maintain pay to have a landline, it's peace of mind. Over the last 25+years it has worked "each time & every time" I've had to use it.

I sure have. I can charge it in the car.

I had a landline until about ten years ago. I remember several times when it was out of service.

After Hurricane Ian in 2016 I bought a portable charger. It claims to charge a dead laptop, or 2 tablets, I've charged my cell for about 10 days with it. The cell still had half battery life when I was charging it. The instructions said to drain the charger a few times a year, so I'd plug my cell into it every night till the charger got down to one light.

I think it was around 50 or 60 bucks, and worth it's weight in gold if you ever need it.

It

 

[Old 44 Guy]

I built this place some 30 odd years back for my retirement home. When I built the barn I found a rotary dial wall phone at a yard sale for a buck. Installed it in the barn. I get a kick out of the young folks that came by & ask how it works. Hell, when I worked for Ma Bell I still know how the use a crank phone, [Magneto]