Walter R. wrote:
My telephone charges creep upwards, almost every month, mostly due to
increased government mandated charges. I pay AT&T now $ 26 a month
for what is essentially local service. Long Distance is on a separate
bill from ECG.
What are the alternatives to increasingly expensive land-lines? We
live in a low area and have poor cellphone connections. What is this
Magic Jack thing? Does it work? What are the drawbacks?

What is VOIP? Just heard about it? Is this another valid alternative.

Thanks for any input.

We have VoIP from Vonage. You get a box that plugs into you router (much
like a computer). Then you plug your telephone into the box. That's it. The
telephone jack on the box is identical in every way to an incoming trunk
line (our two VOIP lines go to our PBX system - just like a telco trunk line
would).

For $19.95/month* you get:
* A telephone number
* A host of goodies like call-waiting, caller-id, voice mail,
call-forwarding, etc.
* All the long distance you can eat.

VOIP requires an always-on high-speed internet connection (DSL or Cable).

With some VOIP vendors, you can keep your existing number. With all vendors
you can choose your area code. Suppose you live in Little Rabbit, Montana
but all your relatives live in Boston. By choosing a 617 area code, when
your relatives call you, to them it's a local call.

I think the MagicJack gizmo works pretty much the same way, but it uses your
computer to replace the "box."

As an alternative, contact your local AT&T office and tell them you just
cannot stand this outrageous charge and that unless there's some adjustment,
you're going to switch. They WILL lower you bill. By as much as half.

An obvious alternative to the alternative is a cell phone.

Good luck.

-------
* The $19.95 (or whatever) is the total. No 9-11 fee, no Al Gore Tax, no
Spanish-American War Excise tax, no sales tax, nothing. It's $19.95 period.