Top 25 things vanishing from America: #20 -- Landlines
Filed under: Technology
This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, here are 25 bits of vanishing America.
I bought my first cell phone in the late 1990's, and by now it's hard to remember what life was like before the device became my primary mode of communication. I now find myself watching old movies and wondering why the characters don't just send each other a text or two. My cell phone has become my Rolodex, my watch, my main form of communication, and a permanent fixture in my life.
All the same, I still have a land line. Granted, I don't know my phone number and I have the ringer permanently shut off, but there it is. Part of the reason that I'm clinging to this outmoded technology is the fact that it came free with my Internet package, and free just happens to be my favorite price. However, a large part of the reason for my landline is that it simply is a better way to communicate and it feels safer to have it as an option.
While I enjoy the convenience of my cell phone, I get tired of having to yell to be heard, having to repeat myself, and having to apologize whenever there's a siren in the background. I hate having to restrict my movements to the areas of my apartment that get good reception, having to cut off real-life conversations to answer my phone, and generally having an electronic leash that never lets me be out of touch. Some times, in fact, I turn off my phone or "accidentally" leave it at home.
There was a lot to be said for life without a cell phone umbilicus. While I could end up in danger, I was also completely free to discover things without a lifeline to friends and family. Shortly after I got a cell phone, I was hiking in the forest and got a little turned around. A quick call to a buddy of mine got me back on the trail and well on my way. While I was glad to have the help, I also felt like the world's biggest tool. Of course, given enough time, I could have found my way back to the trail, but the cell phone made it incredibly easy to cheat. Moreover, giving the complaints of my fellow hikers, I couldn't resist taking the easy way out.
Regardless of the romance of a pre-cell world, the post-cell world is definitely here to stay; according to a survey from the National Center for Health Statistics, at the end of 2007, nearly one in six homes was cell-only and, of those homes that had landlines, one in eight only received calls on their cells. For better or worse, my daughter is going to grow up in a world where she can always be reached at the touch of a button and she can always reach me just as easily. While it's nice that I will always be a phone call away, I also hope that she can find a way to grow independent while she remains tethered to me.
Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. As wonderful as landlines were, he isn't going to miss telemarketers.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
7-15-2008 @ 8:52AM
eve said...
Living in Florida, when we have hurricanes , or just lose power in a rain storm our land lines work & our cell phones dont all the time. I have both a cell & a land line for this purpose
Reply
7-15-2008 @ 9:02PM
Liz said...
That's exactly what I was thinking Eve. During a Hurricane, our land lines work. . .and most of the cells do not. And the land lines that do work are the ones where the phone is connected to the phone!
We are going to be in big trouble when the TV's go digital. . .we always used our "battery TV" to SEE where the hurricane is going to hit. . .because the power usually goes out. . .before it hits. . .Wilma was scarey even with the Battery TV.
I had a cell phone for a very short time. When my father died, my mother gave me his. I rarely used it. When she got her own (cheaper), I never found the time to get another one. I don't even miss it. People don't need to get in touch with me, when I am at the beach relaxing. . .planting my butterfly garden. . .watching the horses run. . .etc.
I find the only time that they are convenient, is when you are meeting someone. . .at a new airport. . .at the mall. . .for my use? A cell phone is toooooo expensive.
7-15-2008 @ 7:21AM
KELLI2L said...
HAVING A LAND-LINE HAS BEEN A GODSEND DURING HURRICANE TIME. SINCE ALL SATILLITES AND CELL PHONES WERE DOWN - OUR LAND-LINE WAS STILL IN OPERATION. THERE IS A LOT TO BE SAID FOR THAT SAFETY-NET.
WE MUST STOP RELYING ON THE INTERNET FOR EVERYTHI NG, IN OUR OPINION.
PLUS, THE INTERNET IS NOT AND WILL NEVER BE SAFE FOR BANKING, AND BUYING - WHEN YOU DO THESE THINGS ON LINE YOU ARE RISKING IDENTITY THEFT IN A BIG WAY. . .
Reply
7-16-2008 @ 8:55AM
Nancy said...
I got rid of my cellphone years ago. I am retired. At times I wish I had one, but they are awful to use, can't hear on them very well, plus, now I live down in a valley and there is no reception here.
7-18-2008 @ 11:58PM
Doris Mitchell said...
I totally agree with KELL12L and hope landline phones never become obsolete since they are the only ones working during a storm. Satallites are really NOT reliable then.
7-15-2008 @ 9:16AM
Pat said...
I have 6 land phones as well as my cell.
We are older seniors. Using modern technology has come easily for me but for my husband, in his early 80's, cell phones are a bit of a headache to remember what you do here and there. A land phone is still easier for him.
Reply
7-15-2008 @ 7:47AM
Y said...
When the electricity goes out...as it did this last year for several days...the only phone that works is the land line.
Reply
7-15-2008 @ 8:02AM
Lucy Grasso said...
In the state of Fl we still need landlines due to the fact that in a bad hurricane it will cut off the towers that support the cell phone.....its not that easy....and also any hand held ones that you have in the house.....it always good to keep an oldie around.....
Reply
7-15-2008 @ 8:34AM
loconn said...
I still need a landline for my home security system...If not for that reason, my landline would also be a thing of the past. I pay more for taxes and fees than I do just for the basic landline phone service. Really hate the fact I am bound to the landline and have to pay a rip-off system. What ever happen to Ma Bell?
Reply
7-15-2008 @ 3:18PM
Ceciroo said...
You asked "what happened to Maw Bell" ? Well Judge Green decided that the cheap, dependable, simple black phone that never failed wasn't good enough so he issued an order to break up the Bell system into those reginal Phone companies and it's been down hill from there. Remember the $6.37 bill for your local phone? Judge Greene opined that bringing in competition would result in lower cost for consumers. mmmm not sure that worked out. If there was ever a problem, they promptly replaced the hand set or repaired the line. As the break up continued, they offered to sell those little black phones to users so I still have one and it works perfectly. I too depend on the land line to service my security system and it's ability to promptly notify the P.D. or F.D. I also use Cell phones and like the convience but not the cost. The Cell phone service providers need to get with Security monitors and devise a system for P.D. and F.D. notification, then I would'nt need the land lines.
7-15-2008 @ 9:42AM
JJ said...
I don't understand how people can act like their cells are the be all and end all of their lives. I have a land line, I want a land line and I use my land line. When talking to my folks or friends are the inevitable business call with all the punch this, punch that before you get a human, I want to talk on a phone that I can hear well on, can be heard clearly and can see and punch the numbers without hitting two or three buttons at one time. If I have to call 911 I want to know that I'm more likely to always have a working phone than take a chance that a cloud passes by at that moment and oops there goes the signal. For the most part my cell works fine just about everywhere, but it is a modern convenience that has gotten out of control. Personally, I'd be happy go back to just plain old phones and if you were out, you missed the call. Guess what, if it was important they would call back.
Reply
7-15-2008 @ 4:49PM
Cheryl said...
Yeah Buddy! I'm with you.
7-15-2008 @ 9:07AM
Barbara said...
I hope, if land lines do disappear, that the industry is thinking of the many, many people who have defibrillators and pacemakers inplanted, and who are only allowed to use cell phones which are kept at a distance from the heart devices. Additionally, what about the hearing-impaired who depend on the services that are provided by land line telephones? I know that, while I depend upon my cell phone for use in transit for emergencies, I feel safer having a land line that is available for me to use in my home.
Reply
7-17-2008 @ 3:29AM
dominic said...
yo yo yo yo you b romero
7-15-2008 @ 8:54AM
Mary Ann Moseley said...
I do still have a landline phone. The reason is that I live in a hurricane prone area and when we have a hurricane, one of the first things to go is cable and and cordless phone availability. Cell phones are wonderful to have but they do not hold a candle to the reception of a landline phone.
Reply
7-15-2008 @ 9:37AM
Diane said...
I still have my landline and a cell phone but I prefer my landline over my cell, when I am at home talking to relatives, friends or making appointments. Cell phones are ok but sometimes they can't pick up in certain areas or the calls may get dropped, but they both have their own advantages but if I don't pay my cell bill I still have my landline to use so I don't feel hapless without a phone.
Reply
7-15-2008 @ 10:03AM
Barb said...
You need a land phone line. Cell towers may not always work. They can be turned off, don't you know?
Reply
7-15-2008 @ 9:46AM
Shirley Davis said...
I agree with all those who think landlines are still a necessity. Every time a thunderstorm occurs, the first thing to go is my sattelite TV and cell phone signal. Thank God for the landline telephone which stilled worked.
Reply
7-15-2008 @ 12:56PM
loren said...
I agree, that when a storm comes, what's the first to go? Your cell phone & cable service communication. I have a landline & a cell phone. It is very important to have my landline because half the time around the house I can not rec'v good reception. "Can you hear me now?" I get so tired of saying that and hearing that from my caller.
Sprint, Alltel, Verizon, SunCom, and the other companies are no better than the other. I've experienced several & know of friends & family who have one or the other. One company might work for you out of town, whereas the other will not. Or one you might be able to use in your office vs the other your reception is not good in your kitchen. At least on my landline I know it's going to work, and not the cordless phone. They both charge some of the most outrageous charges for this or that in order to have this on your line.
The taxes & regulated charges or out of this world. It's like a no win situation with the landline & cell phone companies. I cut back to the basic on my landline ($27.00), and guess what the local company has somehow managed to include (forwarding, *69, 3-way, etc..,) on my account as a package deal for additional dollars without my consent. They just decided to include all these features as the "Home Basic Package" now. My landline has been blocked for the last 8 to 9 years, yet I have a long distance carrier. Also, I went into the Verizon store to apply for the wireless equipment & the next thing I know they are my long distance landline carrier. I've come to learn pay attention to the extra charges on your bill.
7-15-2008 @ 10:23AM
Bert said...
Yes, Barbara your comment is well taken by me. A few years back
communications halted with cell phones when lines went down in Canada that affected us,,,all but land lines...now wouldn't the terrorist have a field day with that. No communication if landlines were eliminated.
Reply