AT&T is looking to eliminate landline phone service for most of Northern California. Click on each photo above to learn more about the proposed changes. Thanks to Brian for the newstip!
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They can fall off the planet as far as I am concerned.I gave up my landline a long time ago.
Yes. Gave up on them long ago.Their service is total garbage.
I don’t mean the frontline AA&T workers. It’s the out of touch careless mega-corporation itself that’s garbage
I don’t use them. Go ahead and drop dead like the landline. Won’t miss you!
What if you live in a rural area with no cell service? And can’t call for emergency service.
Or one emergency power outage away from having a dead cell phone?
Small solar powered chargers are inexpensive. Also if you have a UPS system for your computers disconnect the computer power cords and the UPS can charge phones for days. Also may work with a laptop to charge your phone if it is charged.
They don’t give a Rats A.
I gave up our “traditional” landline some years ago when the price became much higher than an AT&T VOIP landline. I wasn’t thrilled about making the switch, since the VOIP landline depends on the internet, and it would be more likely to go down in a major regional disaster similar to the 1989 earthquake. I know many people rely esclusively on a cell phone, but cellular outtages tend to happen when people have the greatest need to communicate. Wildfires are the most common cause of outtages these days. Anyway, I plan to keep my VOIP landline until AT&T finally pulls the plug sometime down the road.
FINALLY, . . . . . they get rid of telemarketers at dinner time.
Yeah, they got rid of them, .. now they’re calling and texting on the cell phone instead.
( not to mention email!)
I can ignore emails. But calls while I am driving is against the law and too distracting. I get 10-15 plus telemarketing calls everyday on my landline. I keep my cell phone for only family and friends. If I must publish my cell number then it will be sold to the scammers in India and elsewhere.
Are landlines more private than cell phones? I ask because every app demands access to all of my contacts and other stuff. I don’t use apps but I may be forced to.
This is a bad idea, as the land line works even when the power is out, which is a good emergency backup. We still have our landline, even though my wife and I each have a cell phone.
I learned this from an ATT repairmen……Their landlines work over the internet.
But when the power goes out so does the ATT internet and phone.
Well having just dealt with this nonsense about a year ago, I have no love for AT&T. My 91 year old mother in law was moved into assisted living. TV and WiFi were provided by the facility, but no phone service. We needed to get a basic phone line so she could communicate with family. A cell phone no longer was an option as she was legally blind. After 45 minutes of up-selling for services she did not need or could even use due to the infrastructure of the facility, we got a “waiver” to get a basic landline for $45 a month, no long distance or toll call coverage.
AT&T can suck it. You are the “phone company” in our area., like it or not You have a monopoly for basic service. I get that technology has advanced, but you still have a generation or two of customers that you are abandoning with this proposal.
A lot of copper to keep up and fewer and fewer using it. Pretty much a practical move. Though I gave up on AT&T service about a decade ago because it kept going down and they couldn’t figure where between my house and the central office or even the big office in SF. Figured their CEO didn’t like what he said about him. I never was comfortable with them since Southern Bell took over this area.
… after the billions we paid AT&T (aka SBC – Southwestern Bell Corp) this is outrageous – we built and paid for the maintenance of the network and they should still be required to maintain the landlines…. SBC bought AT&T and is just using the name as it is more world reknown. Do you think SBC’s home state (Texas) would allow them to walk away from the billions of consumer expenditures there ? I bet not…. It’s like they couldn’t stand the PacBell Park name – changed it to AT&T park – then pulled funding from Calif and put it in their home state naming their Arlington Texas park – AT&T park . We can count on copper landlines in case of an emergency… not VOIP or wireless.
I know my Daughters got a landline for emergency use, by their kids, when they were too young for cell phone use…. call 911…
Up until I got that letter, same day as the bill, I had thought the Feds had said they could not cancel landlines for a number of good reasons including some of them pointed out above. The letter also said they might palm landlines off onto some other carrier. If the fed can tell banks they need to give accounts to people so they can get their Social Security funds. That the SS must deliver SS checks by mail to people who don’t have bank accounts. Then the fed can tell AT&T they can’t just stop service to landlines.
I wonder how first responders feel about it? I’m sure you’re all aware that if 911 is called from a cell phone it goes to the Highway patrol in Sacramento. If you’ve ever called 911 from a cell you know that it can take 5 minutes for a live person to answer. Once they ask all the questions they then contact the nearest emergency agency closest to the caller. That time delay could mean life and death. Too often there are breakins, shootings,etc. This is outrageous and unacceptable. Not to forget as others have pointed out, in a disaster such as wildfire, earthquakes, power outages, etc the cell phones will be out. This can’t be legal!
9-1-1 cellular calls go to the nearest police jurisdiction based on GPS and cellular tower handshakes. They do not go to Sacramento and then get rerouted. It’s been that way for +10 years or more.
They go to a central hub somewhere and stil have to be transferred to local jurisdiction. I just had to call 911 for a car accident with an infant a couple weeks ago and it took about 10 minutes to get to the local dispatcher. Who then i still had to give all my info to.
Exactly… call our state senators make your voices and concerns heard.
Stove….i had a similar experience
Exactly… call our state senators make your voices and concerns heard.
Blue night I think you’re wrong. I called 911 from my cell to report a dangerous driver on Highway 4 in Martinez. It took several minutes for operator to pick up. After asking several questions they said they would transfer my call to the nearest hwy patrol office. Where are you getting your information?
I don’t have strong feelings one way or the other. What a relief.😅
Our neighborhood went crazy when they wanted to put up a tower on our hill. So we are stuck with one bar for cell phone service. People pace outside trying to get service. It stinks. I’ll keep the landline as long as possible
Is this countrywide or just California?
It’s about California – for now.
When all else fails, HAM radio.
Get rid of smartphones and go back to landline service. The expedited downfall can be directly traced to “smartphones”. Wait till you find out who’s buying your phone calls and text messages.
.
Roomba
Alexia
Ring
who’s next?
Trees can also knock out landlines. Look at the trees reaching into the phone and cable lines in your neighborhood. PG&E doesn’t cut those back and neither does AT&T or Comcast. Cell towers have backup battery power and solar charging. This is beginning to read like explaining 21st century technology to 19th century folks.😉
…. this is about fixing that landline when the tree falls over
You do realize your internet still travels on those lines right? And yeah they do cut those trees. I’m not sure your post makes any sense at all.
battery backup only would last a few hours. Solar? I don’t think so…not enough power generated to run the equipment.
battery backup only would last a few hours. Solar? I don’t think so…not enough power generated to run the equipment. Generators are what’s used…and its only good for as long as the phone company is willing to resupply the fuel.
Web Browsers and Search engines are the next to go as we transition to AI. Think about it, AI will be able to “Predict where Emergency Services will be needed” hey wasn’t there a movie about that called “Minority Report” How’s that gonna work out for us?
I wonder who owns the power poles after PGE has undergrounded their lines? Are the lessor utilities and their rate payers on the hook for maintaining those power poles? I don’t see how it could be any other way. PGE will want nothing to do with a pole that they have nothing attached to.
Of course they rent them out. What make you think they want nothing to do with their property? What a strange assumption. Some people are so limited in their understanding it’s scary.
We ABSOLUTELY need our landline during power outages where we live. Our cell phones are useless during this kind of emergency. And, we live in zip code that ATT seeks to withdraw landline use. Plus, our parents (in their 90’s) need their landlines as well. This will have a harmful impact on so many people in California. Those of you whom feel you are unaffected, good for you. But the choice for landline service needs to remain in place for those of us whom still depend on it.
We had a landline in California, but as soon as we knew we were moving to Tennessee, I got a Google Voice number with a 615 area code. When we actually moved here, I bought an ObiTalk box for a few dollars, hooked it up to my router, ported the Google voice number through it, and that has served us very well as a home phone.