Anyone dropping the landline?

[rcweir]

I'm thinking of ditching my Verizon phone service.

Latest bill was $72.78, with a breakdown of:

$37.99 local package
$18.60 long distance
$16.19 taxes and fees

Something is wrong when the taxes are nearly as much as the long distance charges. Remember the brilliant plan to raise money by charging the phone company for property taxes on their poles? Well, that just got added back to our bills, as "Property Tax Recovery Charge".

Alternatives are going with the Comcast digital phone thing, or using my cellphone exclusively.

Any thoughts from those who have made the move?

[apastore]

We have a land line, and I understand your thoughts about cost, but my question (and sorry to ask a question when you are looking for answers) is this:

What happens when calling 911 from a cell phone? If, in an emergency you need to dial 911 but cannot give your location (or a small child dials 911 because a parent is incapacitated and cannot give the location), will emergency response know where to respond?

My neighbor switched her land line to a cell line with her land line phone number last year. The cell phone is used exclusively as the home line. I asked her about emergency response when she made the switch, but she did not know the answer...

[WCF]

I believe the cell companies have been required to provide location data for emergency response. GPS chips have been required in phones for several years. Check out the FCC:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts...ss911srvc.html

This was often reported as a problem with phone service provided by broadband providers.

There's more background here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9-1-1

[DanD]

I've been meaning to drop the landline, but just have not done it. I have a couple of friends that have and there really is no downside that I have heard, except people who have known your home number for decades...maybe. Anyone research phone number portability to see if the old landline number can get transferred to a cell number?

[Exit32]

I disconnect from the POTS (plain old telephone system) about four years ago, and I've been using an independent VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) service provider (www.teleblend.com) since then with very few issues. Cost is less than $20/month for unlimited domestic calling, and I really like being able to manage telephone features at Teleblend's website. For example, I can block unwanted telemarketers on a number by number basis (they hear a perpetual busy signal if they call), and I can forward my home calls to my cell phone with a single mouse click when I'm traveling.

I also bought a MagicJack device that plugs into my computer's USB port. The one-time MagicJack device cost is about $30 and unlimited domestic calling is about $20/year. I use MagicJack as a backup when my wife is on the phone for hours with her sister. It works well; the only drawback is you need to have your computer running to use it.

[dweir]

"the only drawback is you need to have your computer running to use it. "

LOL! If you only knew!

Thanks for the info everyone!