Granted, that's the extreme. 99.9% of the time, when the call comes in the Internet is up and running, but my using cellphones and landlines I'm not tied to a computer. Technology should free us, not shackle us. For some, I carry an electronic leash, but for me it allows me to live my life and still remain responsive.

I don't know the number and I don't own any devices to plug into the phone jack.

I personally don't buy the argument that it's a leash. Don't want to be in contact? Leave it at home or turn it off.

note: Not a shill for cellphones. I don't think they are a necessity, but they are extremely convenient.

I just can't understand why so many people throw so much money away on cellphone plans unnecessarily. At one point it made sense for me and I'm sure it still makes sense for some, but....

such a high number? I think people are just paying the premium to be cool a lil' bit. For us, $60 is cheaper than $100, and what's especially cool is it's cheaper AND better quality. hooray!

When I'm out on my own, I have no intention of getting a landline. I never come close to using up all my cell minutes each month. And if I ever do, depending on usage, I'd either up my plan or get Vonage or something like that. I refuse to give AT&T my money and they're the only landline provider around here.

I only have a landline and have no intention of ever buying a cell phone. I don't understand the need to be constantly connected to others. To me, it seems more like a leash than a convenience.

If I ever have an employer who requires me to have a cell, then they can foot the bill for it.

Bonus: Not only that, but I rarely use my cordless phone at my house. Calls sound much more clear through the phone with the cord, so I prefer using it for important calls. This phone is also amazingly useful during power outages.

Also, just for info, land-line to me means a dedicated phone line, not VoIP. But that's just my personal definition.

But seriously, we have an unlimited LD plan on our landline, which beats any cell plan. This is great for when the teenager needs to call the whole town (and sometimes country) and talk all night. Plus, it makes for cheaper DSL.

Landline is also very useful when the power goes out for 4 days straight as it did out here in Seattle area this past winter. Especially after the cell towers' backup generators (apparently) ran out. Sure, we had to dig a standalone (i.e. non-cordless) phone out of the closet, but it worked.

@Buran:
They are "discontinuing" the level of service I have. If I do not switch to a "current" (read: more expensive) phone service, they are going to terminate my service as of November 13th.

I'm not the only one, they are doing it nationwide. I don't know why its not getting more attention.

I have no friends, so no need for phone

Plus, I plug in my house phone and, oh my God, it just works. I don't recall ever seeing and old Model 500 rotary phone "brick".

Anyways it's most definitely land lines will be phased out.

Faxes have special legal status (they're assumed to be secure, whereas email and such isn't, and thus can be used for medical records and other such miscellany) -- but only if they go over POTS; T.37 and T.38-based faxing doesn't count.

My household has a POTS line, but only because my brother-in-law pays for it; his stated reason is to have a backup connectivity mechanism should our cable modem die.

*sigh* i wasnt always this way. i was one of the first kids in school with a cell phone, 6th grade, and im now 24. go figure.

I don't use it much, but I use it more than I would a landline phone.

@Steel_Pelican: Stamps and checks...things of the past. :) Except for rebates.

The only time I've ever wanted one was for phone card purposes - my boyfriend lives overseas and you get a lot more minutes when you use a card with a landline vs. a mobile - but we use Skype most of the time so it works out.

Going landline-free, this month. When I added up the cost of landline plus dialup-ISP and realized that I could get cable internet for half the cost, the decision really made itself.

Luckily, I have good neighbors with landlines and live in a very urban setting. Finding a landline in an emergency would be a snap.

and god help you if you try to talk about sim cards to me.

I still have a landline but am considering TMobiles Hotspot@Home which is $20/month and won't eat up my cell minutes.

Had to get a landline for the first time in years this summer when I moved into a building that required one to buzz visitors in.

Yes, sometimes it's a pain, but not enough of a pain to warrant another bill in the form of a landline. I think "9/11 meltdown" was an exception rather than the rule.

And it's a good feeling.

@ElizabethD: Landlines can die, too- relying on any technology to get yourself out of an emergency is the first mistake. Just because it's an older technology doesn't mean it has any better of a chance at saving your life.

Cell only, and I've had no problems or inconveniences arise from it yet.

@ElizabethD: We had a slight service meltdown on 8/1/07 in the Twin Cities area, but everyone that called me was eventually able to get through, and most of my calls connected after one or two tries. It's a temporary inconvenience but still not worth the price of a land line.

I'm in a similar situation. I have a landline but only for DSL. There's a phone hooked up although it's rarely used. I'm unfortunately using AT&T for my DSL and I'm hoping I can get the naked DSL and do away with a landline altogether.

@mattatwork: I agree with you.

When I first moved out on my own a few years ago I got a landline becuase it was the thing to do. After a year I realized that I never used it. everyone called my cell phone and the landline just sat there. I canceled it and never looked back.

I also think number portability really helped the push to cell phone only. People were always afraid to give up their landline because it was the only number they had ever used. Now they can keep that number and no one is the wiser that it has been switched to a cell phone.

I also have VOIP. My internet, phone, and television all come over one fiber optic line.

Not that I ever actually answer my cell phone...

I currently have only a landline. And coming up on November 13th, Comcast sees fit to discontinue my service whether I like it or not. I am seriously considering abandoning telephones all together at that point.

How neccesary are phones today? I have internet access and can probably make do with Skype using Skype out or a similar application.

I'm just a couple years out of college, and nobody I know has ever even though about getting a landline for their house. More importantly than existing consumers dropping landlines, "new" adults are never getting one.

I'd be curious to see how these results break down once age is factored in. I'm 43, so I still have this attachment (irrational though it may be) to my landline, because that's ALL I had growing up and even into my early 30's.

I'm betting that the youger types (who may have had cell-phones since they were early teens) have no such attachment.

Just a thought...