Still love your landline? Phone service providers are getting closer to phasing

[1995hoo]

Loss of a landline means loss of FAX capability.

Only if you use a standalone fax machine. There are various e-fax workarounds that serve well enough for most purposes, though there are certainly exceptions.

[thenetwork]

We still have a landline for my mom-in-law who shares the house with us.  It's more for convenience for her when we are off at work.

It's bad enough she barely knows how to work the cordless phone as she is 83.  Giving her a  cellphone and showing her how to work it is nearly impossible.

[bing101]

Loss of a landline means loss of FAX capability.

Dang I thought fax machines were phased out back in the early/mid 2000's once DSL and Cable internet access started to become widespread.

[1995hoo]

Loss of a landline means loss of FAX capability.

Dang I thought fax machines were phased out back in the early/mid 2000's once DSL and Cable internet access started to become widespread.

Some US government agencies are absolutely adamant about using faxes if you don't want to mail them something.

[jeffandnicole]

Loss of a landline means loss of FAX capability.

Dang I thought fax machines were phased out back in the early/mid 2000's once DSL and Cable internet access started to become widespread.

Some US government agencies are absolutely adamant about using faxes if you don't want to mail them something.

And banks. If you want to see an entity other than the government use antiquated systems, look at banks.

[kalvado]

POTS is way more reliable than cellphone service where I live.  That is why I keep it.

It may certainly be the case. question is about aging infrastructure and increasing maintenance cost with dropping coverage. Are you willing to pay full price of an operation of landline? It was certainly easier when landlines were everywhere and costs were divided between larger groups.
Smart approach would be to have cell coverage as a condition of dropping landline, waived if community doesn't want any towers

[Scott5114]

While copper is a recyclable item that does bring in some money, the labor costs don't make it worthwhile.

I don't know, thieves in Detroit somehow made money off of stealing copper from street light poles. While the power was live.

That happens a lot in OKC too. It's super noticeable because then the city and OG&E pass the buck back and forth forever on whose job it is to fix it and the streets stay dark.

[vdeane]

How about a compromise?  Still require the companies to have wired service to every home, but allow them to phase out the ancient copper in favor of modern fiber (which would also carry broadband).  This would let the phone companies stop maintaining two systems, make broadband more accessible, and continue to keep service other than wireless available.

[Rothman]

We still have a fax in my office.  It mainly prints off spam once a week or so.

[ClassicHasClass]

Loss of a landline means loss of FAX capability.

Dang I thought fax machines were phased out back in the early/mid 2000's once DSL and Cable internet access started to become widespread.

Some US government agencies are absolutely adamant about using faxes if you don't want to mail them something.

And banks. If you want to see an entity other than the government use antiquated systems, look at banks.

And medical offices.

[wriddle082]

But your fiber to voice adapter needs grid power, and your cell phone needs a tower that has power to connect to.

The cell tower is often equipped with battery backups, and a UPS for that VoIP adapter and associated Internet gateway isn't that much.

Cell sites have always had battery backup, at the very least, inside the equipment shelters, and I know from experience that all Verizon and T-Mobile cell sites have backup generators.  So these days there is very little risk of a cell site power outage during a long term loss of commercial power (assuming the fuel tank is regularly filled up).

Despite all of this, I still feel nostalgic about POTS lines and wish there were a way to keep them running forever.  The power systems inside telco central offices that keep the lines up and running are simply amazing.  Working around all of this equipment for the past 25+ years has certainly given me a different perspective than most of the general public.  Sure, those same power systems are used for all of the newer fiber optic equipment, which is also super reliable, but the old POTS equipment was simply built during a different time and built to last.

[wanderer2575]

Loss of a landline means loss of FAX capability.

Dang I thought fax machines were phased out back in the early/mid 2000's once DSL and Cable internet access started to become widespread.

Some US government agencies are absolutely adamant about using faxes if you don't want to mail them something.

And banks. If you want to see an entity other than the government use antiquated systems, look at banks.

And medical offices.

It beats some of the modern alternatives.  My wife and I potentially had our bank accounts compromised so we've been in a bit of a scramble this past week closing the accounts, opening new ones at a different bank, and updating all our automatic bill payments.  One of the latter is a monthly transfer to my investment provider.  They sent me a secure e-mail with the updated withdrawal agreement that I was supposed to digitally sign and then click a button to securely send it back to them.  Clicking the button to set up a digital signature took me to a completely different website.  So there's the height of irony:  In the course of recovering from a muck-up caused by a breach, my financial advisor expects I'm supposed to trust this unknown website with my personal data as part of the fix.  Screw that; let me print out the form on a dead tree, sign it in ink, and fax it to you.  Better yet, I'll drive out there to hand-deliver it.

[ZLoth]

Despite all of this, I still feel nostalgic about POTS lines and wish there were a way to keep them running forever.  The power systems inside telco central offices that keep the lines up and running are simply amazing.  Working around all of this equipment for the past 25+ years has certainly given me a different perspective than most of the general public.  Sure, those same power systems are used for all of the newer fiber optic equipment, which is also super reliable, but the old POTS equipment was simply built during a different time and built to last.

Oh yes. Unless you are dealing with "last mile" technology, the communications at the telco backends is all digital so that they can squeeze multiple conversations onto a single fiber link.

I'm also aware of Internet Fax services which allow you to send/receive faxes over the Internet. One such service has, for $84 per year, allows you to send/receive 200 pages per month with unlimited fax storage on their most basic plan.

[kphoger]

Power blackouts.  If you have a plain old telephone it will get enough power to operate from the battery power at the exchange.  But your fiber to voice adapter needs grid power, and your cell phone needs a tower that has power to connect to.

From my perspective working for a phone company...  Only if (a) your plain old telephone service is analog signal coming into your house via NIU, or (b) your plain old telephone is digital signal coming into your house via coax and your eMTA has a battery backup.  In my neck of the woods, for example, Cox has already phased out all NIUs as of a couple of years ago, and they haven't provided battery backup for eMTAs except by special request for years.  (I don't even think the most recent gateways even have a slot for a battery at all.)

[JayhawkCO]

Despite all of this, I still feel nostalgic about POTS lines and wish there were a way to keep them running forever.  The power systems inside telco central offices that keep the lines up and running are simply amazing.  Working around all of this equipment for the past 25+ years has certainly given me a different perspective than most of the general public.  Sure, those same power systems are used for all of the newer fiber optic equipment, which is also super reliable, but the old POTS equipment was simply built during a different time and built to last.

Oh yes. Unless you are dealing with "last mile" technology, the communications at the telco backends is all digital so that they can squeeze multiple conversations onto a single fiber link.

I'm also aware of Internet Fax services which allow you to send/receive faxes over the Internet. One such service has, for $84 per year, allows you to send/receive 200 pages per month with unlimited fax storage on their most basic plan.

This is me clearly not fully understanding the intricacies of faxing, but isn't an "internet fax" an email with an attachment?

[zzcarp]

I'm also aware of Internet Fax services which allow you to send/receive faxes over the Internet. One such service has, for $84 per year, allows you to send/receive 200 pages per month with unlimited fax storage on their most basic plan.

This is me clearly not fully understanding the intricacies of faxing, but isn't an "internet fax" an email with an attachment?

Some financial and legal firms won't accept documents via email due to it being not secure enough (or it could be inertia). Several times I've had to use an "internet fax service" to "fax" what should be an email attachment of a PDF to another Fax recipient.

[JayhawkCO]

I'm also aware of Internet Fax services which allow you to send/receive faxes over the Internet. One such service has, for $84 per year, allows you to send/receive 200 pages per month with unlimited fax storage on their most basic plan.

This is me clearly not fully understanding the intricacies of faxing, but isn't an "internet fax" an email with an attachment?

Some financial and legal firms won't accept documents via email due to it being not secure enough (or it could be inertia). Several times I've had to use an "internet fax service" to "fax" what should be an email attachment of a PDF to another Fax recipient.

Encrypted email no good either?

[ZLoth]

Some financial and legal firms won't accept documents via email due to it being not secure enough (or it could be inertia).

Some of the more senior partners tend to be technological "dinosaurs" because they can afford to be technological dinosaurs.

[vdeane]

I'm also aware of Internet Fax services which allow you to send/receive faxes over the Internet. One such service has, for $84 per year, allows you to send/receive 200 pages per month with unlimited fax storage on their most basic plan.

This is me clearly not fully understanding the intricacies of faxing, but isn't an "internet fax" an email with an attachment?

Some financial and legal firms won't accept documents via email due to it being not secure enough (or it could be inertia). Several times I've had to use an "internet fax service" to "fax" what should be an email attachment of a PDF to another Fax recipient.

Encrypted email no good either?

Do most people even know that's a thing and how to do it?  Or even that regular email isn't secure?

[JayhawkCO]

I'm also aware of Internet Fax services which allow you to send/receive faxes over the Internet. One such service has, for $84 per year, allows you to send/receive 200 pages per month with unlimited fax storage on their most basic plan.

This is me clearly not fully understanding the intricacies of faxing, but isn't an "internet fax" an email with an attachment?

Some financial and legal firms won't accept documents via email due to it being not secure enough (or it could be inertia). Several times I've had to use an "internet fax service" to "fax" what should be an email attachment of a PDF to another Fax recipient.

Encrypted email no good either?

Do most people even know that's a thing and how to do it?  Or even that regular email isn't secure?

I mean, if people can explain how to e-fax things, they can explain encrypted email.

[Henry]

If the phone companies are so hellbent on ending landline services forever, then why are we getting commercials for closed-captioning phones? Something doesn't seem right to me.

[mgk920]

A LOT of businesses still use some form of hard-wired phones.

Mike

[Road Hog]

Sounds like phone service providers are getting farther away from phasing unless they're just shooting to stun.

[on_wisconsin]

A LOT of businesses still use some form of hard-wired phones.

Mike

The vast majority of which are IP based...

[ran4sh]

This should only be for pre-existing copper customers, not those choosing to live offgrid somewhere remote.  They can connect on their own dime with Starlink or something comparable.

Why should there even be a distinction. I agree that people shouldn't be discriminated against based on where they are from, but freedom of movement is also important - someone who was born in and stayed in place X their whole lives should not be given government advantages over someone who was born in and/or stayed outside place X and now wants to move to place X .