sur5or62,
Here's my opinion on the topic. I, too, have a Verizon landline, and the price has surely gone up and is getting quite ridiculous.
With that said, I am keeping my landline, and I'll tell you why. I'm keeping if for two reason. The first is that it always works. Even when the power goes out, or there is a nasty storm out, it still works (I've been lucky enough to never have a phone line go down). You can't say the same with VOIP or even a cell phone. The second, and even more important reason, is for Emergency Services. If I was having an emergency and called 911, even if I passed out the second they picked up, they would know exactly where I was without me having to say a word. With a cell phone or VOIP, you better hope that you are able to calmly give your address, as they won't know it without you doing so. I'm not willing to take that chance.
I'm not trying to curb Hughesnet's business, just giving my feelings on the topic. My landline always works, and when it comes to emergencies, it's always there and they know where I am.
Heavy rain, no phone. Snow on the dish, no phone. No electricity, no phone. Storms at the gateway, no phone. Any unforeseen problem with the service, no phone. Just something to keep in mind.
Wow. I thought my $80 per month was bad. It was in the mid $50s when I signed up in late 2004. $120 is ludicrous. I didn't know there were people having to pay that much. Location, location, location, as they say.
I know that they are working on things to make emergency services better for wireless and even VOIP users, but I still don't trust them enough, at this point, anyway.
I'm sure that at some point in the future wireless and VOIP emergency services location will be as good as on a standard landline, as the possibility is there with GPS technology, but until then, I'll stick with the tried and true.
Again, though...$120. Sheesh!!!
"I rather dislike the idea of paying $120/month for landline service here that is crackly... Yeup, that is what AT&T charges residents in this area for home phone service"
Holy Smokes !
How much of that is taxes ?
They sure can load the line items up ... tax on the war of 1812 and all that stuff.
Have a Frontier landline here. $52 for local and unlimited long distance (US and Canada).
Cell coverage is really iffy. May have to walk out and a couple of hundred feet up the drive to get a signal that fades in and out. Used to have Verizon, 2 seldom used cell phones, 500 shared minutes per month for a mere $80. Finally dropped it in favor of Tracfone, 2 phones, 200 minutes per month for $17.50 including all the taxes.
For me, satellite VOIP is just too "fragile" to say nothing of the latency. With a land line I'm weather dependent on just the local weather. With sat VOIP I have to also deal with the Gateway weather conditions. If a power outage occurs the land line being self-powered will likely still work. Not so with a sat modem and ATA without starting the generator.