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All Forums > Tech Talk > Tech Talk Forum Page 14 > Is an Legacy-Style Landline Valuable to Have?
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jayo All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member


2117 Posts
7/04
Posted - Jul 31 2012 : 9:26PM
An adjunct from the I want an old phone thread.
I used to have a full-on landline, the kind that had TPC-supplied power so even if the power in the house went off, chances are the phone still worked. Plus I could use the old style analog phone.
Then I moved and TPC sold me on digital phone service, which I believe is just VOIP piggie-backed on my TPC-provided internet. I have to use a modern phone that has a wall-wart to power it, and if the house power goes off, I believe I lose my phone service too.
So I'm debating and I thought I'd solicit opinions. Part of me thinks it's a good idea to have the old style landline for emergencies. On the other hand, I can count on one hand with 5 fingers left over the last time I needed to use a landline phone when the power went out. And in a true emergency, everyone else is ALSO calling out so you can't make calls anyway. So having a traditional landline is pretty much pointless in practice.
I'm sure I'm missing something important. Opinions?

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Harri Patel
Senior Member

#SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele
5110 Posts
3/03
Posted - Aug 1 2012 : 8:29PM
I only have a landline because I can't have DSL otherwise. I understand that in some areas you can have a "dry loop," but not here. It's bullshit; AT&T reaming me for $30 a month just because they can.
I switched most of my telephone usage over to a Google Voice number a long time ago, and almost always place/receive calls with my cell phone. The only time the landline # rings now is for bill collector robo-calls looking for the deadbeat who had the # before I did.
I could see the "in case of emergency" argument for someone who lived way, way the hell out in the sticks all by themselves, maybe, but if you live in a reasonably built-up area and you can't get help just by going outside a asking somebody, then whatever is going on is probably a big enough catastrophe that having a wired phone isn't going to matter much anyway.
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Goldstein All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10
Posted - Aug 1 2012 : 8:49PM
I agree with Harri.
(But, DSL as a last resort, only if you can't get cable internet or satelite.)
If you have a cell-phone, and get reliable reception, fuck AT&T and their land-line.
FYI, I get pestered by solicitors on my cell-phone all the time.
Why?
Because, it is my only phone number, and, any time you buy something online, your phone number becomes a valid way for companies to contact you (cell-phone or not).
Also, they now have legalise so that, when you make a purchase, you automatically allow them to share your information with their suppliers and chain of fulfillment (which, inevitably, includes them farming it out to a "survey" outfit, and then telephone solicitors have a field-day from there on out).
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All Forums > Tech Talk > Tech Talk Forum Page 14Is an Legacy-Style Landline Valuable to Have?

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