Death knell for landlines - RANT

[amaxwell]

Well, I've always said if I survive the initial event I think I can do fairly well at supporting myself on what's left. My main concern is all the City people that survive swarming out here to take what I have.

That's why I have GUNS and AMMO !

 

[Alien]

Sounds like you guys have the same problems we have.
Our copper lines are on their last legs.
It is regarded as a single copper line so No ADSL or unlimited internet like the city folks get and they are also getting fiber optics as well.
Country folk don't matter.
By the time they look at replacing our copper wire with fiber, nobody in our road will have a land-line so they probably won't even fit the fiber at all.
Meantime, we pay $60 a month for a measley 10 GB of broadband Internet and all the city folk get unlimited for $39.95.
Stuff the country bumkins. They don't matter.
And why would the ISPs care? they don't as they make the big money off us suckers in the country who can't have or get a decent landline cable or fiber.

Rant over......

 

[k0ua]

Sounds like you guys have the same problems we have.
Our copper lines are on their last legs.
It is regarded as a single copper line so No ADSL or unlimited internet like the city folks get and they are also getting fiber optics as well.
Country folk don't matter.
By the time they look at replacing our copper wire with fiber, nobody in our road will have a land-line so they probably won't even fit the fiber at all.
Meantime, we pay $60 a month for a measley 10 GB of broadband Internet and all the city folk get unlimited for $39.95.
Stuff the country bumkins. They don't matter.
And why would the ISPs care? they don't as they make the big money off us suckers in the country who can't have or get a decent landline cable or fiber.

Rant over......

well, as they say, there are two sides to every story... While I don't work for the phone company any longer, I feel like I should point out a thing or two. The company does not make the big money off of us country bumpkins. NO they are losing money off of us country bumpkins. The BIG money is made off of those $39 dollar a month guys in the city. You make money off of serving people that are densely located. It COSTS you money to serve people out in the sticks. They make an attempt to serve you with reduced services at higher prices, but in the long run in many cases, if you did not subscribe to services at all it would be better for the company's bottom line. Many governments force companies to provide some kind of service. If you don't believe me, and you want me to go into the details of the why this is true, I will. But I assure you if the companies could provide you fast service at a reasonable price, they would. Trust me on this one. They don't hate you.

 

[California]

Something I haven't seen mentioned - I read that ATT corporate policy is to move everyone off POTS. (traditional copper wire from the central office). Reason: Long ago the government subsidized wiring telephone service to nearly every household in the US regardless of location. Under the condition that the Public Utility Commissions in various states (or federal?) can dictate rates and limits on profit. In effect, ATT was a subsidized national monopoly before the big 1984 breakup.

But POTS continued to be under PUC jurisdiction. New ATT (different company in San Antonio that bought the trademark) devised a strategy to get out of PUC's control and quality-of-service standards: sell entertainment (non-regulated) with internet and voice as extra cost add-ons! The free market returns to the telephone business! Less of those PUC mandated taxes that the old phone company lobbied to show on the taxes side of your bill instead of as corporate costs, when petitioning PUC for a rate increase. I've read that modern ATT intends to do away with all traditional PUC-regulated 'copper to the home' as soon as they can shut down the traditional Central Office/copper cables infrastructure. And I think neglect of this infrastructure is a calculated part of this strategy.

Pretty soon everybody will have fiber - but only where its is cost effective for the provider. Everybody out in the boondocks - sorry, maybe cell service can do what you want.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Sounds like you guys have the same problems we have.
Our copper lines are on their last legs.
It is regarded as a single copper line so No ADSL or unlimited internet like the city folks get and they are also getting fiber optics as well.
Country folk don't matter.
By the time they look at replacing our copper wire with fiber, nobody in our road will have a land-line so they probably won't even fit the fiber at all.
Meantime, we pay $60 a month for a measley 10 GB of broadband Internet and all the city folk get unlimited for $39.95.
Stuff the country bumkins. They don't matter.
And why would the ISPs care? they don't as they make the big money off us suckers in the country who can't have or get a decent landline cable or fiber.

Rant over......

They multiplex DSL and voice on the same copper line and just split them with filters at the point of service. If you have one copper line you can have DSL. The problem may be in the distance to digital. A DSL signal will only propagate about 3 miles on copper, so if you are farther than that to fiber you are out of luck.

I have DSL, but think there may be wireless internet available now. That's not cell company internet, it's a high speed dedicated wireless server. It takes a dish like a satellite dish, but is land based and gives 20 Mb service. I'm checking to see if I can get a signal at my house.

 

[ultrarunner]

well, as they say, there are two sides to every story... While I don't work for the phone company any longer, I feel like I should point out a thing or two. The company does not make the big money off of us country bumpkins. NO they are losing money off of us country bumpkins. The BIG money is made off of those $39 dollar a month guys in the city. You make money off of serving people that are densely located. It COSTS you money to serve people out in the sticks. They make an attempt to serve you with reduced services at higher prices, but in the long run in many cases, if you did not subscribe to services at all it would be better for the company's bottom line. Many governments force companies to provide some kind of service. If you don't believe me, and you want me to go into the details of the why this is true, I will. But I assure you if the companies could provide you fast service at a reasonable price, they would. Trust me on this one. They don't hate you.

Pretty much the way I understand it... AT&T is sure pushing to switch the Hospital over to Fiber...

 

[k0ua]

Pretty much the way I understand it... AT&T is sure pushing to switch the Hospital over to Fiber...

We could provide symmetrical (up and down the same speed) broadband up to 40 meg over bonded copper, and asymmetrical broadband (DSL) up to a theoretical 100meg, but if you want anything faster, then fiber is your choice. You want 10Gig? no problem, and if you are a long ways from our POP, no problem. Copper has a lot of limitations.. Not the least is sensitivity to lightning, and EMI, both into the copper and out of the copper, as well as length and bandwidth restrictions

 

[Industrial Toys]

We had party line service not that long ago. Who would have dreamed of satalite services and a cell tower on the horizon? I'm sure companies are hard pressed to invest millions in infrastructure that could be overshadowed by competition using new technology.

As far as being a survivalist. I always thing of someone that has their, guns, food and power in order and then they get popped in the head from half a mile away as they tend to their vegetable garden. Or maybe a hernia. I hope it never gets to that.

 

[rekees4300]

Ordered Ooma from Amazon.com (deal of the day for $74.99). Internet based phone service. Free local and long distance calls. Basic package is $5/month in fees/taxes, premium package is $10/month more. Frontier doesn't know it yet but their $35/month semi-operational landline will soon be cancelled if this Ooma device works as advertised!!!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I tried ooma, doesnt work on satellite internet. If you have high speed internet it is great.