AT&T wants out of landline business

AFP ^ | Dec 30, 2009 | Unknown

[decimon]

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US telecom giant AT&T has asked US regulatory authorities to waive a requirement that it and other carriers maintain costly landline networks.

AT&T, the oldest US telephone company, made the request in a filing last week with the Federal Communications Commission in which it also asked the FCC to set a "firm deadline" for phasing out wireline service.

"The business model for legacy phone services is in a death spiral," AT&T said. "With an outdated product, falling revenues, and rising costs, the plain-old telephone service (POTS) business is unsustainable for the long run."

[decimon]

Verizon has been stringing fiber optic cable everywhere.

[KevinDavis]

I’m not surprised..

[gusopol3]

gosh, the envy of the world 30 years ago (ATT phone service)?

[advance_copy]

If they cut all the hard lines we’ll be stuck in the matrix.

[omega4179]

Stuck in cable companies for internet, yuck!

[clee1]

Yet, when I called to drop my landline, the CustSvce Rep gave me a discount on my DSL service equal to what the landline costs, just so I’d keep it!

[decimon]

If they cut all the hard lines we’ll be stuck in the matrix.

Stuck with higher electric bills, I think. No revenue from the phone companies to the electric utilities for use of the poles. I think that's how it works.

[decimon]

Yet, when I called to drop my landline, the CustSvce Rep gave me a discount on my DSL service equal to what the landline costs, just so I’d keep it!

AT&T?

[Wyatt's Torch]

If they cut all the hard lines we’ll be stuck in the matrix.

Chuckle... good one.

[TomGuy]

Landline companies are having to raise rates to maintain their level of income, because more ‘clients’ are dropping them in favor of cellular/Internet phone service.

I dropped my landline a year ago ($25/month) and replaced it with cellular/Internet ($10/month).

[KoRn]

What’s a land line?

[Wyatt's Torch]

I would have dropped my land line a while ago but my AT&T cell service sucks in my house (due to my city ordinance of no cell towers - it is a very "green" community and has been for 30+ years...before it was "cool). Anyway, I was at the AT&T store a few weeks ago buying my wife an iPhone and they have a box that will boost the cell reception in your house. 3G Micro Cell

[balch3]

tell me how that works? you have internet/cell for ten bucks a month?

[ozark hilljilly]

Verizon has been stringing fiber optic cable everywhere.

Send 'em down our way! Cell reception is spotty, we still NEED the landlines here where we're at. And hi-speed innernets? Ha! Don't make me laugh...that still MANY years away! I agree about the cost of landlines going up, though. Jeez, what I pay a month I could afford cell service...if I could get it.

[randita]

Doesn’t satellite TV service require that you have a landline? Ditto for home alarm systems?

[decimon]

I dropped my landline a year ago ($25/month) and replaced it with cellular/Internet ($10/month).

The rub is that, unless you have wireless internet, you still need the landlines.

[lovecraft]

My wife and I are coming up on 10 yrs without a landline. It was just never needed since the switch to cells.

[decimon]

Doesn’t satellite TV service require that you have a landline? Ditto for home alarm systems?

Do they all? I don't know.

[KirbDog]

Doesn’t satellite TV service require that you have a landline? Ditto for home alarm systems?

When we had satellite TV the only reason for the phone line was the on-demand features. Alarm systems might be able to use cellular service.

Kirbdog

[cowtowney]

Haven’t they been collecting a fee each month for years to pay for string phones in rural America
now they don’t want to?