On Sep 14, 12:48 am, mm wrote:
A friend tells me tonight that if you subscribe to FIOS from Verizon,
at least when you use it for everything you have (tv, internet, phone,
or any subset) when they install the optical cable, they take out your
copper.

So that you can never go back.

He says that even if you sell your house, the new owner can't get
simple copper phone or DSL line, unless he pays someone privately to
reinstall the copper wires.

That's why my friend kept a simple phone line, and didn't get VOIP.

That's what he says, and he's no dummy. Does anyone think he's wrong?

Is Verizon only in the mid-atlantic, or the northeast?

(Missa, this would explain why it is worth it to dig those trenches
and holes to run lines where there are few or no subscribers. Talk to
me later.)

On Sep 14, 12:48 am, mm wrote:
A friend tells me tonight that if you subscribe to FIOS from Verizon,
at least when you use it for everything you have (tv, internet, phone,
or any subset) when they install the optical cable, they take out your
copper.

So that you can never go back.

He says that even if you sell your house, the new owner can't get
simple copper phone or DSL line, unless he pays someone privately to
reinstall the copper wires.

That's why my friend kept a simple phone line, and didn't get VOIP.

That's what he says, and he's no dummy. Does anyone think he's wrong?

Is Verizon only in the mid-atlantic, or the northeast?

(Missa, this would explain why it is worth it to dig those trenches
and holes to run lines where there are few or no subscribers. Talk to
me later.)

Would say your friend is smart!

But; not only doing away with all copper lines!

Electricity! I'm all for 'living better electrically' as they used to
advertise some 40+ years ago. And when we built this house in 1970 we
did go 'All electric'.

One big advantage, still today, of POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service)
over copper wire from the telephone building or cabinet is that it
does not depend on modems, computers or electric power at your
premises! The small amount of electricity required to operate the
phone comes over those two thin copper wires.

The one and only time, for example, we have lost our phone service
here in over 40+ years (telephone plant is 95% overhead construction)
was when a drop wire to our house was damaged. With no digging the
telephone repair was fast and efficient, taking less than four hours,
out of service. Even recently our neighbour had loss of service due to
a cable pair fault; it was fixed next day. Many thanks to Aliant
Telecom, an Atlantic Canadian subsidiary of Bell Canada. Also see
note:

Traditional telephone companies typically (those still using say ATT/
Bell System standards) provide battery power back-up at their
locations; along the lines of a minimum of 8 busy hours (if they have
diesel generators) and 24 hour back-up, if ability to plug in an
external generator. These phone lines are often your only way of
reaching 911 etc. when we have those very infrequent power failures.

However the traditional telephone companies have been under intense
competition to cut costs by the newer companies who may not have that
history/tradition of service and who may be providing your TV cable/
internet and other 'added' services from cabinets mounted along the
street. Some of those systems use only AC power or at most have small
batteries in each cabinet which will only last a few hours at best.
With small decentralized battery installation it is cheaper to provide
service but there is less chance of recharging them until power is
restored to a whole area.

For example we have lost our cable TV service a few times even though
the electricity was still working on our street, because the power was
off at a cable TV cabinet several streets over! Glad we didn't get our
telephone service from them!

To see how you might fare personally during a power failure, turn off
your main circuit breaker and see which services (including some of
your phones?) are affected/lose service!

Note: Many of the more sophisticated phones (Call display, automatic
dial, message answering etc.) depend on being plugged into a standard
wall outlet. Some do have battery back up for any numbers stored,
others do not or the protective battery has long ago deterioriated. In
most cases that memory back-up battery does NOT operate the phone
itself.

IT IS THEREFORE A GOOD IDEA to have one very simple phone THAT DOES
NOT DEPEND ON ELECTRCITY TO OPERATE. In fact we have an older rotary
dial wall phone, which fascinantes a grandson who has never seen any
phone that doesn't have buttons! I must show him a magneto crank phone
one f these days!

BTW; if telephone service is essential; have a cell/mobile phone as
well; and keep it charged up! Especially during storms. But be
prepared for delays if/when a power failure occurs; there are not an
infinite number of channels at each cell/mobile site. A satellite
phone will also work, provided it is also charged up. But understand
minutes are expensive; which however may not be a concern during an
emergency.

SO: As long as the commercial AC in your area is reliable (to your
home) and the service providers have reasonable power back-up
provisioning policies we should be alright say 95% plus of the time.

But it's when that elderly relative has a stroke, and/or you are
trying get to a hospital or dial though to an emergency service, with
street and traffic lights not working due to power outages that one
realises that you can't take anything for granted!