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    <title><![CDATA[Discussion on One-third of US households chuck landlines; now use mobile only ]]></title>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628]]></link>
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    <lastBuildDate>2013-06-18T23:30:18-07:00</lastBuildDate>
             

    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Land Lines]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-95837]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Land Lines are a NATIONAL SECURITY NETWORK  UNDER FIRE. Electrical outages have become more severe more often causing loss of all cable services while land lines continue to work. They are a safety net and we need them. Much of the decline of land lines is done intentionally by your local provider. A massive conflict of interest exists when your land line company also owns wireless. They want you to leave the land line and go wireless. They make more money. Wireless is awesome and I pay for 4. but it doesn't  always work. LAND lines WORK IN EMERGENCY&gt;.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-95837]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[inac]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:56:28 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[land lines]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60778]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[We have both cellular and land lines.  I prefer the land line to use at home, it gives me security in the case of an emergency to call 911, we don't keep our cell phones out on a counter at all times, after work it is usually put away for the day.  The LL is our first choice in calling anyone from home.  Yes we do pay over 200/mo for phone and internet service (LL and CP), another reason not to have cable/sattelite/uverse service.  I keep telling AT&amp;T when they call asking for us to subscribe to UVerse, that when they allow us to choose the channels we want, then we will talk.  No luck yet.  The land line is much clearer and the set is easier to hold or put on speaker phone and overall better in the long run than a cellular phone.  We do use our CP to call each other especially in the mall to say &quot;where are you?&quot;  The CP is convenient for travellin as the LD is included in your bill already, so I may even use it to contact someone in the town we are visiting.  We don't begin to call as much as we are paying for on either service, can't be on the phone all of the time, though.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60778]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[dhays]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Fri, 30 Dec 2011 07:54:08 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[It probably depends on who the customer is and where they live.]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60559]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[In urban areas where there are multiple options for broadband, bundling is the holy grail because it's multiple services provided on the same infrastructure (making it very profitable) and it locks a customer in to where they are more resistant to defecting to the competition.  Where I live, I have a choice of cable, DSL and WiMax, and the competition is fierce.  In the sticks, it's a very different situation.Personally I don't like bundling; I don't see it as a very good deal.  Comcast (my broadband provider) continually tries to sell me their phone service, which is barely cheaper than my old land-line with AT&amp;T, and exponentially more expensive than my VOIP service.  The broadband rates have been static, but the basic TV service creeps up every 6 months or so.  I am getting closer and closer to defecting to an antenna/broadband solution for television, since the value I'm getting for the TV portion is poor, and deteriorating. AT&amp;T sends me so much mail (at least 1 piece every 2 or 3 weeks) that I'm convinced that they'd make more money if they'd give me the service for free and stop sending me the junk mail.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60559]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[JohnMcGrew@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:48:00 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[But they won't allow lower rates...]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60557]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[...because local jurisdictions make too much money from franchise fees and other taxes.  If you look at a land-line bill, you'll see that over 1/3rd of it is taxes and fees.  How much uproar would there be if they allowed the telcos to lower the price of the service, only to have consumers discover that over half of that bill was going to taxes?]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60557]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[JohnMcGrew@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:38:13 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Yes they can!!]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60553]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Utility Commissions set maximum rates which can be charged, not minimums.Most of the fees which are tacked on are to expand on this maximum charge while still advertising a low price. These fees are presented as taxes even though only a very few of them are paid as taxes. They just fatten the carriers bottom line.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60553]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[jpinion]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:28:31 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Are landlines essential to carriers' competitiveness?]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60535]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Yes they are to those of us without adequate cell coverage. Plus, even with the landline I cannot get DSL for internet, or cable. So me and my family are stuck with satellite, and with that you're limited to 350MB per day.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60535]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[T-Wrench]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:18:21 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Indeed, it's true...........]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60523]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I have a DSL line, and at that it's the premium elite service, with AT&amp;T. I've had it for three years and it's great. Good customer service too. I have to laugh.....Comcast spends millions to advertise themselves as the fastest, but the reality of my personal speed test (speakeasy.net/speedtest) showed Comcast downloaded at 124k compared to AT&amp;T's elite service which is 5.6 Mbps down, and 0.64 Mbps up.  Talk about false advertising from Comcast! AT&amp;T is king. And that's $39/mo from AT&amp;T. No land line. No TV. Nothing but DSL. Yes! Love AT&amp;T]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60523]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[SmartPlanetORelse]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:18:19 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[naked DSL]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60478]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Thanks, John, for alerting us to this type of service. Interesting that this is not something actively promoted by the telcos. (Apparently not in their self interest.)   More information is available here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_DSLhttp://www.att.com/dsl/]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60478]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Joe McKendrick]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:49:57 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Are landlines essential to carriers' competitiveness?]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60467]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[The telcos use landlines (including FIOS) as their conduits for Internet and TV services.  The fact that they no longer reach 1/3 of American households must raise concerns about ability to compete in this arena. Does anyone have perspective on what this means to the telco bundled service business?]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60467]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Joe McKendrick]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:45:28 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Unfortunately, they legally can't...]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60465]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[...since landlines, unlike wireless, are regulated monopolies where public utilities commissions decide what can be charged.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60465]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[JohnMcGrew@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:38:38 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Landlines]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60430]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[The cost of having a landline is too high when you are already paying for a small computer phone that you can carry in a shirt pocket.  If the phone companies were intelligent at all they would do bundles at a low cost similar to Comcast and Charter.  All the lines are in place, most areas even have fiber optic lines capable of carrying large amounts of data.  If we could get high speed Internet, landline, and many TV channels for under $45.00 we would have both landline and cell phones.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60430]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[ron@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:12:44 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Actually, that's not true]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60426]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[In many areas, you can get what is called &quot;naked DSL&quot;.  AT&amp;T does not promote this since they want to sell you a package.  (This was part of the deal they made with regulators to get approval for one of their mergers years ago)  Althought they are required to provide this service, they do not promote it, and actually go out of their way in letting people know it exists.  (there is no permalink on their web site as they keep moving it)If you Google &quot;naked DSL&quot; you should be able to find the information you need.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60426]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[JohnMcGrew@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:10:49 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Part 2]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60446]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I cancelled AT&amp;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 &amp; 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 &amp; cellular services.  AT&amp;T is still stuck in it's &quot;were a giant monopoly&quot; mindset that is 25 years out of date.  I honestly don't understand how they stay in business.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60446]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[JohnMcGrew@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:07:22 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Blame it on monopolies, taxes &amp; regulation.]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60436]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[For about a decade, my businesses have operated off of VOIP and the Mrs &amp; I both have cell phones.  I used to keep a voice land-line to the house for &quot;redundancy&quot; if the broadband (from a separate carrier) should go down.  Even &quot;basic&quot; service for this line was over $35/month.  (no caller ID, long distance, etc)Several years ago, the line went bad; noise increasing over time until it became unusable.  When I called AT&amp;T customer service to repair it, I was told that it would take 4 or more days!  Then it hit me:  I was paying &gt;$35/mo (or $420/yr) for this kind of redundancy?  The Internet and/or cell phones would never be down for 5 days, and at least if that were to happen I could call forward on them.  This was unacceptable for the price I was paying.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60436]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[JohnMcGrew@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:06:46 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[I was moving]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60435]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Around 5 years ago I was moving from Michigan to Ohio for a job.  It was too expensive to call my wife on the motel phone (I was living here for 6 months before she moved with our stuff) so I looked into cell phones and discovered I could get 2 phones with 2 lines for less than I was paying for my land line in Michigan.  We never bothered to get a land line once we finished moving.  Why should we double what we are spending on phone coverage?There is a negative side to this.  You can only get cable and not DSL when you don't have an active land line.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8628-60435]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[metaphysician]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:00:35 -0800</pubDate>
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