End of the Land Line?
My Day
By Dr. J. Ester Davis (esterdavis2000@gmail.com)
Do you have a land line? How long have you had it? Are you ready to have it taken away?
We are asking you to share your disappointment with AT&T at: 210.821.4105. We are told this is the Office of the President, AT&T. Home office for AT&T is Downtown Dallas.
I love my land line. I like my cell phone. In Texas, AT&T is the primary phone carrier. State legislatures in 20 plus states have given AT&T the OK to end land line service so the telecommunications company can focus on wireless and/or internet-based phone futures. The question here is did the legislatures confer with their public? And that will be a ‘no’. From research-to-date California is the only holdout state and an Illinois watchdog group, Citizens Utility Board, opposes AT&T’s plan to “ditch the landline”.
The comfortable, reliable land line is stable, does not fade in and out, holds its own in storms, high winds, tornadoes and floods. If the power is out, the real land line still has a dial tone. We have generations that have grown up with the dependable land line. There are many citizens against this decision. Seniors are the most outspoken. And seniors make up a lion’s share of the American consumer. I think we keep forgetting that! Seniors have voiced strongly that the land line does not go out in an outage, does not need a battery backup and it does not leave 911 guessing.
The land line is truly excellence in communication. The land line is a solid “security blanket” for seniors, the disable, the home alone citizen. But the mightiest answer is the land line is a trusted public safety home device. Public safety is our number one concern. I absolutely disagree that the land line is obsolete. It is a very useful piece of fine furniture. The cell phone is endowed with a double “D” cup series of applications that all citizens do not need. Anyway, people are creatures of their institution… their self-made habits. Here is a powerful example of sheer unleashed will. We… out of that habit rebel and continue to read our newspapers every day despite the floor of surveys informing the public that print is down. Reading is up!! And not all on the cell phone. Reality is that everything we have been accustomed to in the past 50 or 60 years is not all of a sudden a dinosaur. The land line has a proven track record….being very simply put… they work. They are always there… ready to serve. Technology is here and we are mesmerized, deeply in love and intensely curious about its possibilities. From all indications, the cell phone has a higher price and a dating life duration of about two(2)years. And then you can be assured of a pending divorce ….the unstoppable upgrades, start all over with the new bell curves and questionable applications Yes. Bugs exist in all upgrades, while the devoted, loyal and faithful landline just ‘keeps on tickin’.
AT&T is a dynasty of a corporation. First of all, I think they will listen to their customers. They are extremely slow sometimes in getting it right, but being AT&T they will stand up to the challenge. This exercise of going from copper-to-fiber was painful. Then recommendations of a new modem was a bag of mixed nuts. But working together was the key to the final answer.
Ok, Texas, what say you? What we have from my survey is the land line and cell phone that is preferred by consumers. Now, please use the abovementioned telephone number to voice your opinion about the “forever land line”. Thanks ya’ll for all responses via facebook. Ester.davis.39.
