However a few points...
on #3, yes car wrecks happen, but I think the landline in that situation is likely to be from a local business. Someone runs in and says "Someone's been hurt on the road" and makes the call.

One number 6-- it's a certain demographic that's at risk for that type of injury. People need to consider their own risks. If I'm 30, I'm much less likely to have this problem than if I'm 60 heading into an age where I need greater medical attention than previously.

All that, AND Geordi as your avatar? Please tell me you're single so we can exchange emergency land-line numbers.

I've never had a landline in my name, and never will. I get a great signal and my phone worked when we had the blackout a few years back(unlike my friends who had cordless phones). And since the FCC mandated in 2006 that all new cell phones had to have GPS in them so you could be found if you called 911, I feel pretty safe.

I'm rural, and I live in a borderline coverage area in a partially-underground apartment. Reception is a "We have it in this spot, but not a meter to the left" situation. I would still prefer a cell. It's more dependable in pretty much all the emergency scenarios I can think of. Car accident? Landline's at home, cell's in my pocket and has voice dialing. Chimney fire? The demarc's right next to the goddamn chimney, and I think the lines cross underneath it. Hurricane or blizzard? Lines WILL be down, likely for days, maybe for weeks. (Buried lines are a logistical nightmare here, and a real storm will send trees flying.) Robbery? Ridiculously unlikely, and I'd rather be able to, y'know, get the hell away from the house.

The only case I can possibly see a practical argument for a landline over a cell is the unlikely case that I'm at home, alone, and incapacitated badly enough to be unable to speak, but not too badly to be able to find a phone and call 911. Everywhere else, the cell is the clear winner. Some of these might be marginal cases, but a lot aren't.

And that's without e911 or decent reception.

@Magspie: Landlines get clogged as well. We could not make calls for days after the LOMA PRIETA quake in 1989.

If many cell phones eventually go this way, to becoming a beacon of sorts, then a cell phone is much better because I spend 8+ hours of my day away from home, and I think the likelihood of an accident is more likely on the road or on the street, where I'm not paying for my landline anyway. The difference is being tethered to your home with something you're paying for.

@Magspie: I've been through two hurricanes (In Houston, TX) the past few years and we did lose our cell service some of the time.. but there were some interesting things that went on with it.

First was that my paticular cellphone seemed to work better than any other cellphone in my family.. I'm not sure what the difference is between them (3G or whatever.. who knows) but mine worked more oftin than theirs did, resulting in my battery being dead sooner. So when you are faced with power being out for a week or two, it pays to have a car charger for your phone.

Second was that if you couldn't connect directly you were able to leave voicemail and recieve them most of the time.

Third was that text messages almost always worked. I was even able to send a text to my mother-in-law's email address because they hear hurricane news even in Australia.

Anyway.. it would have been nice to have a real landline with a corded phone.. but it worked out ok the way it was.

I just need to get that car charger.

Has anyone on Verizon Wireless ever called 911 from your cell phone? If so, you will find out that when you do, your phone goes into "911 Emergency" Mode until you turn it off and back on again. Once it's in that mode, it repeatedly dials 911.

I had this happen to me when I had a scary experience whith someone who I am pretty sure was on an "Ambien Drive" late one night. After I got off the phone with the authorities, I got a call back immediately that my phone had notified 911 that it was in Emergency Mode and was asked what my emergency was. Sure enough, the screen was all Red and "Emergency Mode" was displayed on the screen.

I think that makes Cell Phone trump landline anyday. If I was laying in a ditch somewhere, I don't think my landline would help me the same way.

So there are upsides to everything as usual.

Again, many VoIP services would require you to confirm your address anyway, less they send an ambulance to your billing address half-way across the country because you never updated it.

The day I dropped the landline all the unwanted solicitor calls stopped, all the calls for the lawyer in town with the same name as me stopped, all the calls from the pharmacy telling me my mystery prescription was ready stopped (I am not on any medications), all the calls to the previous 5 owners of my phone number stopped... it's been pure bliss ever since.

Other than that, thanks for all the information. It really gives more credence to maintaining a landline...now if only it didn't cost so much to have a landline and cell phone (and I'm not giving that up).

You last line about cell phones makes you come off as being extremely ignorant. You're not 65 years old are you?

First, let me knock down a few fallacies about 911 - this is based on facts and experience as an emergency responder and based on experience with the actual dispatchers.

1. Location-based systems are not terribly accurate, and many 911 systems don't have the ability to accept GPS coordinates from a cell phone. 1500 Meters is considered good accuracy in an urban area, within a few square MILES is considered good in a more open or rural area. Landline systems are specific to the address.

2. VoIP systems connected to wireline (cable/dsl) do have the ability to send accurate location information, but roaming VoIP like Skype and Gizmo 5 do not - and can not - provide accurate call info.

3. The argument that "I've never needed 911, so I won't need 911" is akin to saying "I've never been in a car wreck, so I don't need a seatbelt". I have responded to MANY calls for medical emergencies - vehicle wrecks - where the cell phone calls come in from passing cars and the dispatcher is trying to figure out what rescue company to dispatch because the signals are hitting two towers in two different jurisdictions and the callers have no idea where they are. One 911 call from a landline fixes the location in an instant and lets the dispatcher move faster. When you're bleeding out in a car wreck, 90 seconds matters.

4. In large-scale emergencies, your cell phone isn't going to work. Not just because of system capacity, but because the cell system is designed and able to give priority access to emergency responders - even if it means kicking YOU off your call. The landline system has more capacity than the cell system, in general.

5. Classic landlines work in power outages as long as you have a "classic" phone to connect to it.

6. I have responded to SEVERAL emergency medical calls where the caller to 911 could not speak. Stroke victims and heart attack victims are typical of this kind of call, but there have been cases of small children calling 911, not really sure where they live, but knowing that Mommy (or Daddy, or Grandma) is sick and remembering 9-1-1. It happens more frequently than you'd think.

So, yeah, you can save a few bucks going cell-only. It could mean a slow death for a stupid reason one day. Your choice.

And it's kind of ironic that you say you never worry about needing a phone because everyone around you has one...it seems that if everyone evaluated for themselves their need for a cell, and determined that they truly did not need one (like you) that you would suddenly find yourself without access to a cell phone. If I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere, and I need assistance, you bet I'll be grateful for my cell phone.

The simple answer is that cell phones offer the same benefits (and more) as landlines, but they add the mobility that people need nowadays.

911 has has saved one of my loved ones life in the past. I fail to see any validity to the argument that you won't ever need it because you haven't needed it much before.

I suppose thats the rural perspective.

Unfortunately we moved into a brand new house and the landline was never even hooked up (since we had Vonage, we never contacted Verizon to hook us up to the street) so we can't take advantage of the fact that in Massachusetts they're required to let 911 calls go through regardless of whether we're paying for service or not...

What should be done is a national 911 registry with the home addresses accessible to emergency personnel (if the GPS doesn't work).

In a serious emergency, I'm not too worried about finding a phone because everyone else seems to have several. :-p

I notice the question is endlessly asked about needing land lines, but I think that the bigger question is why people need cells phones if it isn't an integral part of their work.

Gaah, I didn't want to think about that before I went to bed!

But...but...if the tower was eaten by a tornado, your cell phone might not work. Then what would you do?

A tornado tried to eat us on Friday at work. We lost power but the landline still worked. Which kind of sucked, because I still had to answer it. :P

That's exactly why I still have a landline. My phone is cordless, but I keep a corded one around in case of power outages. Although I'm thinking about dropping long distance and just having DSL and the line like you, and doing the Net10 thing for all else.

But it's too convenient to have one phone, even though it's highway robbery.

But since it comes with a bundle I'll probably have to get locked into (damn you, Cox) I might end up with a landline, as the triple bundle is cheaper.

You have to remember that economic analyses such as the one you present have the assumption of zero transactions costs as well as the existence of no risk averse types. The reason we have insurance is because some people are afraid of risk. I am not going to go into full analysis mode, but there is plenty of literature on this topic on the internets

In my case the apartment came with the line and the cost to keep it is included on the lease so whether I chose to use it or not it is always there.

Just they other day I read an article about how some punk carjacker stole someone's stereo and his phone accidentally dialed 911. They listened in on his conversation AND triangulated his exact location and arrested him (with stolen stereo in hand)

However. Our cost calculus takes into account that we get high-speed internet via DSL (cable costs a lot more here) so we're paying the line fee for the phone ANYWAY to get the DSL. We pay 50 cents a month for a land-line calling plan that lets us get unlimited incoming calls and make 30 outgoing calls. Then we pay like 10 cents a call. (I don't remember exactly, but we'd have to make something like 300 calls a month to make the $10 unlimited local calling worth it.)

So since we're ALREADY paying the $9.50 line fee and assorted taxes to get the $19.95/month DSL, it's only 50 extra cents a month for the peace of mind of a landline.

I have a Pocket Communication phone here, $25 for unlimited texting and unlimited anytime minutes. Sure long distance is $5 extra and the service is only good in San Antonio and Laredo, but you can't beat the price.

In another safety-related cell-phone development, a train accident in Boston that occurred while the train operator was texting has renewed questions about the safety of texting while driving.

You've got to be kidding me. I can't believe there are any questions about the safety of texting while driving. Doing anything that requires taking one's attention off of the road is, without question, unsafe. The longer the distraction lasts, the more potentially dangerous it becomes.

If I had a provider whose service I trusted, I'd have no problem dropping my land line. Chances are 911 will never be an issue, and I certainly don't need more than one way to be pestered at the whim of others.

According to my local 911 board, not so much. They also say you may get routed to the wrong 911 center depending on a number of factors. I found something about this recently by accident when looking at the county government's website.

I would guess that if you live in a multi-dwelling unit you're probably really screwed. Even if the aGPS is reasonably accurate, they won't be able to figure out which apartment you're in.

Other than battery issues, we do fine. Verizon Wireless has flawless service in our area, and when we dropped the landline I checked with the local police department to verify that 911 calls from a cell would go to the correct tower and dispatch center. We've since call 911 twice (for minor things - in our town we are instructed to call 911 for everything) and have had no problem. And with two cell phones in the house, if one battery dies we still have a second one.

seems like fear mongering to me

That was fun.

That said, I still don't have a landline.

I've been without a landline for nearly 8 years (I work for a cell phone company and get my services for nearly free). I've never had a single problem. What are the odds that I would ever need to call 911? I've lived my entire life and called all of twice - and I wasn't home at the time for either event.

When I canclled my landline service, the threat of a lack of 911 was the first thing out of the retention agent's mouth. There were no sophisticated GPS fancy phones at that time, but even then, I never felt particularly worried. With the new phones coming out, they can find you if your cell phone so much as queries a couple of towers for the current date and time.

And the risk of dropped calls? Gee, I might have to call somebody back? Lordy, what a tragedy. :)

The risk is minial and the cost savings are substantial.

@Magspie: This!

...Not that Arizona has much in the way of natural disasters but, um ... the sun might burn us up!

@cristiana: Yay, Arizona! Guess my having a landline was smart after all ;)

Odds like those are why Consumers Union recommends the landline backup.

This simply calls out for more analysis. What are the odds of someone needing to call 911, what are the odds of a person not being able to provide their address, and what are the odds of the operator not being able to determine the location from the phone? After some basic math (I'm sure Consumers Union has someone on staff with some probability and statistics training), you can come up with an estimate of the odds probability that a cell phone and a land line will generate different outcomes. Throw in some risk adjustments based on the weighted severity of the call (ranging from minor injury to death), and you can estimate the probability that a call from a cell phone will result in a death or serious injury. Divide that number into $240 and you will have an estimate of the cost of avoiding that injury/death.

For all I know, that number could be $10K per indident, or could be $100M per. If the number is too high, people would be better off spending their money on other ways of adding safety to their lives. I regret that CU doesn't do this kind of analyis as part of the normal course of business. Without this information, people aren't able to make informed decisions.

These are the states with 'Do not disconnect' policies (that means you can call 911 on an unpaid line)
Arizona
Colorado
Delaware
Hawaii
Idaho
Iowa
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Montana
New York
North Dakota
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Dakota
Utah
Washington
Wyoming

And if your provider sucks hard enough they can't hire 911 service smart enough to use the location information, get a better one...

@nakedscience: And holy crap did I mangle concrete! Why am I attempting to type on a Monday?

@nakedscience: "big bag" = big bat.

And omg I'm terified of someone breaking in while I sleep, so the corded line is actually in my bedroom, while a portable is in the living room, attached to the answering machine. I also have a big bag by my bed. And I know exactly how quick it would take to open my bedroom window, and that while the 2nd story fall onto ocncreet/gravel would probably hurt like hell, if I fall right I might get away with just a sprain.

So the landline phone might just be paranoia on my part ;)

If you are replacing your home phone with a cellphone, I have to assume you are buying a decent phone...

Also, the cell network around here is VERY decent, for me. That being said, 911 calls WILL knock non-priority (ie: Non-government) users off the network, so don't worry about capacity. 911 calls also permit phones to operate at maximum power, so you can dial 911 when you wouldn't normally be able to dial a call because you are on the fringe.

I always reccomend people with VoIP get a cellphone for this purpose. Even if you don't have service on it, it will still be able to make 911 calls. Great for the occasional time your internet sucks.

Oh, unlike a landline, your cellphone works even when your landlines are cut/melted/broken/whatever. Think: In a burning apartment building that doesn't meet modern building codes.

Well, I suppose I could pick up the Triple Play from Comcast and get a reliable phone line that won't drop calls.

Oh....wait.

No thanks - I'll stick to our cell phone plans - we get full bars in our home and always sleep with one of them in our bedroom charging in event of emergency.

@nakedscience: And I will say, once the power DID go out and I had left my cell phone at work. I had to call 411 to get the nearest Holiday Inn, because who has phone books anymore?! It was kind of hilarious. I'm glad I had the landline, then!

I have a basic CORDED landline (still works if the power goes out) -- no caller ID, no call waiting. $13/month. I also have DSL, so it works out. But as a single gal living on her own, I feel better having a landline at home. Also, I am notorious for leaving my cell at friends' houses or just plain losing it, so it's nice to have a backup just in case.

I never answer the damn thing (unless I lose my cell phone...hah!). It has an answering machine I clean up on occasion. I think the ringer is off right now, actually.

Yes.