"CRNG" wrote in message

stuff snipped

I live in a rural area and around here we consider a dial-tone to be a
miracle. In this state the utilities own the Public Utilities
Commission.

It's that way in almost every state. Here in the DC area Verizon is
actively working to convert all their dial tone/copper wire customers to
FIOS. I've told them repeatedly I don't want a phone line that can't
support a dial up modem, that isn't regulated by the public service
commission, that runs out of battery power in an emergency and that depends
on the stability of the Verizon computer network.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/lo...Say-They-Felt-
Pressured-Into-Fios-235098041.html

http://tinyurl.com/n3xgwvp

I'm with you - the sound of a dial tone is a miracle. When all the
cellphones went out in the DC area on 9/11, the landlines kept on truckin'.
I assume that the VOIP service will crash pretty much the same way when
everyone gets on their phone in an emergency all at the same time. It's
really a public safety issue but since the PSC has been "captured" by the
companies they regulate they don't care. They're hastening the destruction
of the copper phone network that has demonstrated far greater overall
reliability than any of its replacement technologies. That's progress, I
guess. )-:

One good thing about being one of the last of the dinosaur dial-up guys is
that with the exodus of subscribers from copper phone lines, there's hardly
*ever* any crosstalk on the lines these says. The tech told me I had the
only dial tone on a 50 pair trunk cable. It's lonely at the top (and
bottom).

FWIW, the Feds probably want everyone to switch to VOIP so they can more
easily monitor everyone's phone conversations.

Give me that old time religion, give me that old time religion, give me that
old time religion, it's good enough for me!

--
Bobby G.