Growing up, most of us had a landline phone in our house. If you don't know what that means...I envy your wrinkle-free complexion!
Apparently the old phone line infrastructure and technology that is tied into that infrastructure is going to be updated. When that happens, landlines will become both expensive and possibly difficult to acquire in the first place. And even then they're saying that the service may not be as reliable for people who need the service.
Who still needs a landline anyway, you ask? Well, older Americans are at the top of the list. Followed by people who live in remote areas with little to no cell service (that's right, there are still places where you can't even get a cell signal in the US!). And how about hospitals and clinics? They still need ti use of their fax machines in most offices.
So why get rid of the infrastructure they have now? Good question. It appears the phone companies want to move away from the traditional POTS (plain old phone service) that uses copper lines to bring the service to you. They're looking to use fiber optic and ethernet connections along with newer equipment to bring you these services. Because...um...well, just because.
Here's the whole story from CNN.
Here's our morning discussion about the social ramifications of losing landlines!