Part 2
I cancelled AT&T, and went out and bought an Ooma VOIP box and had the house number forwarded to it. $200 up front, and a few bucks a year to cover taxes & fees. This paid for itself in 6 months. I never looked back.
I see little reason to maintain a traditional land line anymore. The price you pay (regulated tariff plus taxes) is completely out of line with the level of utility you now get with IP & cellular services. AT&T is still stuck in it's "were a giant monopoly" mindset that is 25 years out of date. I honestly don't understand how they stay in business.