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Every phone jack has to have the capacity to call emergency services in the US (911 system).
So buy a cheap old phone at any garage sale, plug it in and when you need 911, voila. No need to pay anything monthly.
Not true. It depends on the state, and area within that state. Also, if someone is ditching a landline and expecting to be able to make a call to 911, and can't, there goes the reliability/peace of mind factor.
Hey, if it comforts you....
Personally I'm not pissing away $30 a month, which is what ATT wants here for a basic landline, on the very very off off off chance that the ONE time I need 911 to save me, that I will be unable to speak and give them my location...
Just another general comment...we have had multiple land lines for many many years. I guess we are just lucky that spam calls there are few and far between. (We have registered them with anti spam site wherever that is). I get more junk, spam, nuisance, and wrong numbers on my cell phone and the annoying text services. YMMV but unmanageable spam calling is not a general characteristic of all land lines and is usually easily dealt with.
another nice basic feature of most (true) land line phones is that they don't have to be consciously charged all the time (like every night with many cells that are used regularly). Old fashion line powered types are not charged at all and always ready for extended CLEAR SIGNAL use, even over pretty good speakerphones if you have power. Remote wireless stations remain charged for many days out of their cradle/charger. When you have a bunch of them in the building/home the normal resting place is in the cradle/charger so they are usually fully charged and available in most rooms you want to answer in (without having to carry the darn cell with you everywhere).
I haven't read this whole thread but I suspect these things have been mentioned before...and this one too ...the signal quality on many cell phones is pretty bad...we have learned to 'settle' for mediocre quality and (IMO) comfort. This will continue because many people have grown up on cells and think that they are as good as it gets and cool too (as well as their own personal statement) etc. (not that there is anything wrong with that )...and of course as I said before, there is more money for carriers in having everyone owning and trade in and renew service etc. ... a phone, tablet, wristwatch etc. and pay just a little more for each and added 'services' and trade in. Old phones last for many years...
Nevertheless, it seems inevitable that land lines and wired phones will eventually become too expensive and hassle prone for most individuals.
As previously stated previously, I am content having both for now exploiting each's best features ...
Hey, if it comforts you....
Personally I'm not pissing away $30 a month, which is what ATT wants here for a basic landline, on the very very off off off chance that the ONE time I need 911 to save me, that I will be unable to speak and give them my location...
You don't need to speak to give them your location. They can pull the GPS data off your phone.
Example/Anecdote:
About a month ago I was driving along the highway, using the GPS so I didn't have a good sense of where I was. In a field next to the road there was a big fire, about 60ft diameter, burning up some trees and whatnot. I pull over, call 911. I tell the operator about the fire and tell her I'm not sure exacltly where I am but she can pull the GPS data from my phone. She does, and then tries to explain to me where I was. I told her I was just going to use the GPS and keep going. Fire truck passed me about 2 minutes later.
You don't need to speak to give them your location. They can pull the GPS data off your phone.
Example/Anecdote:
About a month ago I was driving along the highway, using the GPS so I didn't have a good sense of where I was. In a field next to the road there was a big fire, about 60ft diameter, burning up some trees and whatnot. I pull over, call 911. I tell the operator about the fire and tell her I'm not sure exacltly where I am but she can pull the GPS data from my phone. She does, and then tries to explain to me where I was. I told her I was just going to use the GPS and keep going. Fire truck passed me about 2 minutes later.
Then again, remember not everyone has GPS on their phones, so they still have to verbally communicate the problem. I don't have GPS on mine by choice.
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another nice basic feature of most (true) land line phones is that they don't have to be consciously charged all the time (like every night with many cells that are used regularly). Old fashion line powered types are not charged at all and always ready for extended CLEAR SIGNAL use, even over pretty good speakerphones if you have power. Remote wireless stations remain charged for many days out of their cradle/charger. When you have a bunch of them in the building/home the normal resting place is in the cradle/charger so they are usually fully charged and available in most rooms you want to answer in (without having to carry the darn cell with you everywhere).
