The Great Landline Exodus Continues > pots can die die die

pots can die die die

In Canada, I don't feel the same way. Pots are the most reliable, I don't even trust the cable companies because the battery in the devices will last a few hours at most.

Imagine if I had VoIP During the big East American-Canadian blackout?... We will be cut off. Only the pots stayed working.

It's a bit of a paradox, Joe consumer's options are

VOIP is good because it isn't POTS.

POTS still works when the power is cut.

VOIP does not work because it likely needs a router/network or working transmitter which goes with the power.

POTS has an advantage, but almost everyone nowadays with that uses a phone system that will only work when the power is on. Better have backup phone like I do.
--
Moore/Alexander 2008

Conservatives love religious-like aphorisms so here's one: "Freedom isn't free. It's Made in China."

I have a very old 900MHz cordless phone that if the base unit has a battery in it, will let the unit run for a while. The phone itself, however won't charge, which saves the battery tremendously. My 2.4GHz device, however doesn't have this ability. Otherwise, I'm a POTS user and prefer POTS over VoIP for a couple reasons.

I haven't ever known a person to change the battery in their alarm clocks that they use every morning, never mind their phone.

We're all just a lazy bunch.

reply to Quake110
I have to agree. However, line powered VOIP should be what the telephone companies move to. They're ignoring it completely though.

Perhaps if they got in touch with pricing. 30 dollars a month is plenty for a rarely used line.

reply to Jerm

reply to NOCMan

reply to Jerm
In my cause our POTS line is being utilized for 2 hours on a daily basis while we're home every day. Our cell phones are used during the mornings and afternoons, the POTS at night. This is mainly because someone in my house doesn't know how to do internet calls and prefers to tie the phone up all the time, despite us having DSL which works perfectly.

reply to Jerm
One of the major problems with the landline companies has been greed....translated to returns for shareholders.

All the features that VOIP offers are and have been residing in the POTS switches for years.
The greed aspect comes into play when they charge 6.60 for call waiting or unrealistic sums for any other features.

Remember, their infrastructure has been amortized over the last 50 years, but they still seem to convince the FCC and PSC that they need the rates they charge.

Interestingly, the competition hasn't come from within the industry because the competing LECs had an unwritten agreement not to compete in each other's territory.

reply to Quake110

reply to Blackened

Charge it from your car? I know, it all seems too simple.

And who are you calling all this time while the power is out? Let people know you are safe. I'm sure there are more important things to do than jabber on the phone during a disaster.

cw

I would use it for emergencies - police, fire, police when the power is out.

reply to NOCMan

reply to burris
That's been my major pet peeve about POTS. My cheapie PAYG cellphone includes call waiting, ID & voicemail as part of the basic service. Why should it cost about an extra ~$12-15 or so to add those to a basic POTS line (or require a more premium package)?

Another peeve was when the VZ started this "minimum long-distance usage" charge for their LD service. Getting charged $2 (later $4) whether or not I made that amount in calls. That's largely what made me go to DSL dry-loop.

Not to say that cellphones are the end-all solution, either. My peeve about a lot of them is very short battery life (even in standby). If there was an emergency & my phone was dead, there's a payphone (remember them?) directly across the street from my house. As long as myself or anyone else here was able-bodied, we could make the call from there.

reply to Jerm

reply to anonycoward