Help me decide about keeping land line phone or not

R

RandomName

Member
Hi. I want some input from folks to help me decide. Verizon, stated in a letter, wants to convert me from copper to fiber, since they are now putting fiber into my street. This is stressing me out. The price would remain the same. $32 a month for unlimited local calling, no long distance.

I have about a month to decide. If I don't agree to convert, they will discontinue my phone service.

I have a cell phone also, so if I drop the land line, I would of course use the cell.

Would save $32 a month.

Verizon possibly could hook me up without doing any digging in my yard, through an existing conduit, but I haven't called them to ask about it yet. Still trying to think things through.

Neighbors might be inconvenienced. I suppose they are also being given a letter offering them fiber. I assume Verizon will send the fiber under our front yards, and driveways, when installing, even if no one opts in, since they want to install fiber on my street. I live in an end unit of a 4 unit townhome building.

Looking for advice, suggestions, and so forth. Yes, I know it's really not worth being stressed over, but I am.

Thanks.
 

I dumped my landline cuz it was getting too expensive. The house I'm in now doesn't even have a landline jack. The phone line that was there at one time is basically disintegrated. Plus the posts with the phone lines in the alley keep getting taken out by the trash truck and other vehicles. They're all out here laying on their sides.

If it were me I'd dump the land.
 
It's been over 2 years since I've had a landline, and my final bill for it was over $130. I got rid of it because the price was going up several dollars every few months. I haven't missed it.

But I will say this. At the time I got rid of the landline, I bought a new cell phone, and for reasons I'm not sure of, I was unable to keep (port) my landline number over to the new phone, and had to call every business and entity that had the landline number in their records to notify them of the change. It was a big job.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
At the time I got rid of the landline, I bought a new cell phone, and for reasons I'm not sure of, I was unable to keep (port) my landline number over to the new phone,
Click to expand...
From the FCC website:

Porting is not always possible​

If you are moving to a new geographic area, you may not be able to keep your current phone number when changing providers.

Also, some rural wireline service providers may obtain waivers for the porting requirement from state authorities. Their customers may be unable to port their number to a new provider
 
That Lady in PA said:
From the FCC website:

Porting is not always possible​

If you are moving to a new geographic area, you may not be able to keep your current phone number when changing providers.

Also, some rural wireline service providers may obtain waivers for the porting requirement from state authorities. Their customers may be unable to port their number to a new provider
Click to expand...
Thanks. I didn't move, so section 2 of your reply may be the reason in my case, and yes, I knew (going in) that porting may not be possible, when I chose to get rid of the landline, and accepted the fact I could have a big job ahead of me notifying everyone. Still, I would do it again if I had to. All the same, I felt I should point it out to the OP since it may have a part in his decision.
 
Is it the land line number you want to keep or an alternative phone thats not cellular? I ask because when I dumped my land line I was able to add another cell line to my Verizon plan using my old land line number, that phone looked like a typical counter top phone.

Something you may want to look into if you're just trying to keep that number.
 
My landline was through Optimum and I held on to it for longer than I should have. I found out that during a power outage my landline phone would not work. That was the reason I held out, so there was no need to keep it. It took me a while to get used to not having a landline, but there have been no negative consequences, so far. My cell phone serves me just fine; no need to pay two phone bills. If you landline will be useful in an emergency (and your cell phone will not be), that's the only reason I can see for keeping it.
 
I have a non corded landline for 14 bucks a month with no limit calls. I love it. It has all the features I need or want and is bundled into my cable and internet bill. I can't see how anyone can afford a cell of any kind due to the expense...my total bill is cable (wifi), phone and internet of 151.00 a month. I am very happy with this set up.
 
RandomName said:
Verizon, stated in a letter, wants to convert me from copper to fiber, since they are now putting fiber into my street. This is stressing me out. The price would remain the same. $32 a month for unlimited local calling, no long distance.

I have about a month to decide. If I don't agree to convert, they will discontinue my phone service.

I have a cell phone also, so if I drop the land line, I would of course use the cell.

Would save $32 a month.
Click to expand...

Is it only the landline phone that is affected (do you get internet from them, will you lose a bundle price if you drop the landline)?

Why do you have the landline now? I've read that fiber landlines go out when the power is out, so if your motivation for having a landline is for use during a power outage, then that reason might not be as good (tho I guess people can get a backup battery).

If you decide to agree to the fiber, will you be locked into a length of time you must continue having a landline?

If you decide not to switch will they remove the copper and not replace with fiber, and if so, will that affect the desirability of your house if you decide to sell?

Do you have anything else using the phone line (security/fire alarm systems, fax machine, medical alert device, etc.)?
 
I suppose that it depends on the quality of cell reception in your area.

I haven’t had a landline in almost twenty years and my cell phone has never failed.

Years ago I think that it was more of a legitimate concern because 911 and other emergency services couldn’t get an accurate fix on your location from a cellphone in the event of an emergency.
 
If I could have kept a landline for $25 / month (@Oldeagle66) or $14 / month (@dusty) I would have kept it, partly for some of the same reasons you have kept yours, but there's no way I could get a landline here at those prices. It was over $130 / month.

I did have some extra features including unlimited long distance, which I could have dropped, but then I would have had to use a cell phone to call even local people, since several in my community no longer have landlines - only cell phones - and their cell phones do not have local numbers. Why? I don't know. Different reasons: some of them moved here from other places, some of them had their adult children get phones for them - and those kids probably got the phones wherever they shopped - somewhere like Dallas, which has a different area code.

Even if I went to just a basic phone without caller ID or any extras, I would only have saved about 1/2 off my $130 monthly bill, and it wouldn't stay that price because this phone company goes up every few months. On the other hand, my cell phone is a straight $45 / month with unlimited talk and text, and 10 GB internet per month, which Iis more than enough for my purposes. [The $45 / month has stayed the same for over 2 years now.]

Nothing was bundled with my landline. It was through AT&T, who only offers very modest WIFI speeds here, and has data caps, so I wouldn't want it. My WIFI is through T-Mobile, at $50 / month.

It's hard when someone asks a forum for advice on whether or not to keep a landline, since much depends on location, and customers in rural areas like me have very few providers and options.
 
C50 said:
Is it the land line number you want to keep or an alternative phone thats not cellular? I ask because when I dumped my land line I was able to add another cell line to my Verizon plan using my old land line number, that phone looked like a typical counter top phone.

Something you may want to look into if you're just trying to keep that number.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

It's taking me a long time to actually understand what I want, lol. I know I don't want change. I don't need to keep the old number, but as crazy as it sounds, I would feel a sense of loss giving it up, lol. If I do give it up, I will probably be over it in 2 seconds, though. I would just start using my cell phones more.

My cells are both 10 cents per minute, talk and text only, no monthly fee, no contract. I don't talk on the phone much, so it's great not having a monthly fee. My biggest problem would be being stuck listening to elevator music when calling an 800 customer service number, racking up minutes, lol. Might end up getting a monthly cell plan.

Having a retro style land line phone on the kitchen table that actually uses wireless would be OK, but I find the sound quality of wireless to be noticeably less than that of a 'real' wired connection.

About porting the old land line number to a cell : I may do that, have to check it out. Thanks.
 
I prefer having a wired connection, still use a land line for that reason and have never used a cell phone.
Frontier (used to be Verizon) was charging $75 a month for the land line, and only 1 mgbt of internet each month.
Thus I switched to Xfinity cable for internet as it was $10 a month (now $15). Frontier refused to get rid of their internet
though unless I canceled the land line too, so I'm still paying them $75 a month - just so the phone can have a wired connection.

Frontier is probably going to cancel it soon and I don't know what to do at that point.
I use Google Voice for all calls, which rings to my land line, and I haven't found any other phone alternatives.
I don't care about the land line number as I don't use the number, and only use the phone so Google Voice can ring to it.
There used to be phone alternatives for Google Voice to use, like the Obihai phones, but they apparently don't work anymore.
 
Replying to Honeynut,

Is it only the landline phone that is affected (do you get internet from them, will you lose a bundle price if you drop the landline)?

The Verizon letter was only about the land line, yes. The land line is the only thing I have with Verizon. No bundle. I have an internet and TV bundle with a different provider.

Why do you have the landline now? I've read that fiber landlines go out when the power is out, so if your motivation for having a landline is for use during a power outage, then that reason might not be as good (tho I guess people can get a backup battery).

Partly to save money. Partly for phone access during cell outages. I have unlimited local calling plus unlimited 800 calling. So I use my pay-as-you go cell for any long distance, non 800 calls. I make very few long distance calls, and if I need to call some customer service number and be on hold a long time, I use the land line, with its unlimited 800 coverage.

The 'land line over fiber' from Verizon would have a backup battery, good for a certain length of time, during power outages, so the phone would still work, as long as the Verizon server were up.


If you decide to agree to the fiber, will you be locked into a length of time you must continue having a landline?

Don't know. Good question.



If you decide not to switch will they remove the copper and not replace with fiber, and if so, will that affect the desirability of your house if you decide to sell?

What I 'think' will happen (have not called Verizon yet) is that since they are doing the whole street, apparently, they will run the fiber cable through my front yard, underground, and on to the next building, but will not do anything to the copper wire connection. I think they will simply disconnect my number in their database, or reassign it to someone else. A software disconnect. Possibly they would also disconnect the copper line at their 'hub' on someone's front lawn, but they will not bother to remove the copper line. Not enough recycle value.

So, as far as resale value of the home (not planning on selling, but you never know) the house would now be on a street with fiber, although anyone wanting it would have to pay for hookup, possibly. AI says that having fiber increases a house value by 3.1 to 4.9 percent ! (Hard for me to believe)
 
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I went thru this back in the summer. My phone company cut my drop and refused to fix it. I could keep my phone for the same monthly cost of $90 but it would now be 4G. Not good. I wanted to keep the old copper line so my security system would work if the power went out.

Spectrum offers a phone for $15 if you have their cable and internet. I do. I contacted my security company for advice.
They said neither one would work if the power went out. But they could install Cellguard for me. So now my system has its own "cell phone" and I went with the $15 monthly phone. I kept my old number and have unlimited local and long distance and all the other options. And I get to keep using my old phones.

So to answer your question I kept my landline and I have a cell phone. Everybody has my house number. Hardly anyone has my cell.
I could probably make do with just a cell if I could remember to charge it. Im guilty of forgetting to take it out of the purse after I get back from out and about. Then when I remember to take it out the next time its DOA. Luckily, I have a car charger.
 

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