History will clearly show that out-of-control telemarketers killed the home landline phone. They’re the reason why I got rid of mine years ago.
after having landlines (Verizon)with all the bells & whistles, cell phones, etc... I have finally settled on what works for me.
I have a landline stripped down service, just like the old days , no call waiting, no caller id, etc.... If I make an out of state call I’m billed but there’s no extra charge for that service just the out of state calls you make for a nominal fee. The landline costs $10.00- out of state calls are like 12cents a min... yeah, that might be high but i don’t make many.
Now , if i could only get my hands on a pushbutton desktop curly cord model phone circa 1970-1980. It has a beautiful ring tone.