Traditional landline phone service does not run out of power in a power outage, but that is only phone service provided over copper lines. These days it is important to know and ask questions about how the service is provisioned if this is one of your reasons for having a fixed phone service (as opposed to cell phone). For example, I believe if you receive wireline phone service from Verizon and also have FIOS both services are provided over fiber and you have a battery back up. When they put in the fiber, they remove the copper line drop from the pole to your home so no service will be provided to that location with copper again.

Texting on cellphones in an emergency is also a way to communicate when calls will not go through.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP here. Thanks! This is for my elderly dad and he doesn't have internet access. He's in Montgomery County. I'm trying to figure out if a traditional phone service or a cell phone will be a better deal for him.

How able bodied is he? And does he have any deteriorating conditions? My father is relatively able-bodied...for an 86-year old man. He had a bad spell about 7-8 years ago where his health deteriorated greatly. He had to change his eating and drinking habits and started going to a gym with a personal trainer who had now become his friend and a sometimes caretaker. He's much better now. But for a while, he had one of those life-alerts after he fell one day and my mother did not find him for a couple of hours. Now, we got a cell phone for him and he has it with him at all times and doesn't need the life-alert. Although his health has improved so that he can get himself up if he falls now, it's still helpful for him to have in case he can't get to the telephone. He now always has his cell phone on his person. It's a little more comfort for us that he has it. Something to consider.

He is not very able bodied at all. The life-alert thing sounds very appealing. Thanks for the suggestion.

Magic Jack, like 40 a year

12:11 again. Both at our home and at my parents' home, we both have landlines AND cell phones. While cell phones are useful, in emergencies, cell networks get overloaded and you can't call in or out. During the earthquake, I could only get through to her from my landline to her landline in the office. We set up an emergency meeting place. Later, when DW had to evacuate her office and both of our cell phone networks were busy, we were fortunate that we had made arrangements by landline so that we could find each other. My parents also live in a highly populated area where cell networks can be overloaded in an emergency. Additionally, I've known people who had problems keeping the cell phones charged during Snowmageddon when their power went out. They had to go out in the snow and cold and run their car, using gasoline to charge their phone. Landlines get their power from the phone line and not the power company so they are often up and running when power is out. Finally, I need to have a landline because the security system for our home can only work on a landline (same in my parents' home). So for various reasons, we use both in our homes.

We don't have a landline any longer. I finally convinced my father (75) to get rid of his after having one for his entire life. The good thing about the cellphone is that he always has it on him. He has an iphone so I hear from him via e-mail and text about 342 times a day.

Now for us I will admit that I don't have mine on me the entire time which irritates my DH but I am pretty good about checking it on a regular basis. We got the kids one of their own which costs $9.99 a month. Just the standard flip phone which the use to call their grandparents mostly.

Anonymous wrote:
OP here. Thanks! This is for my elderly dad and he doesn't have internet access. He's in Montgomery County. I'm trying to figure out if a traditional phone service or a cell phone will be a better deal for him.

How able bodied is he? And does he have any deteriorating conditions? My father is relatively able-bodied...for an 86-year old man. He had a bad spell about 7-8 years ago where his health deteriorated greatly. He had to change his eating and drinking habits and started going to a gym with a personal trainer who had now become his friend and a sometimes caretaker. He's much better now. But for a while, he had one of those life-alerts after he fell one day and my mother did not find him for a couple of hours. Now, we got a cell phone for him and he has it with him at all times and doesn't need the life-alert. Although his health has improved so that he can get himself up if he falls now, it's still helpful for him to have in case he can't get to the telephone. He now always has his cell phone on his person. It's a little more comfort for us that he has it. Something to consider.

Anonymous wrote:VOiP (Vonage) presumes an internet connection. The rates for traditional phone service vary by jurisdiction (VA, DC, MD), so if that is what you are looking for you should identify where you are. DC has very low basic phone rates, but that is without any kind of package to include log distance, broadband and/or cable. It is actually quite a challenge to back out the cost of local phone service from a package of services and you cannot get those stand alone prices.

OP here. Thanks! This is for my elderly dad and he doesn't have internet access. He's in Montgomery County. I'm trying to figure out if a traditional phone service or a cell phone will be a better deal for him.

VOiP (Vonage) presumes an internet connection. The rates for traditional phone service vary by jurisdiction (VA, DC, MD), so if that is what you are looking for you should identify where you are. DC has very low basic phone rates, but that is without any kind of package to include log distance, broadband and/or cable. It is actually quite a challenge to back out the cost of local phone service from a package of services and you cannot get those stand alone prices.

http://www.ooma.com/

Anonymous wrote:It's only $5 with the internet and cable with Verizon

Yes, but I pay only $78 per month for basic phone and internet (we don't want cable/FIOS-tv). The triple play package or adding the cable part would increase me to $89 and could cost me $11-13 per month more (including extra taxes). Not worth it since we don't want cable TV.

I use Verizon and only get landline and FIOS (no FIOS TV): I pay $11.20 for regular phone service (unlimited local calling), $7.69 for dial tone service, $49.99 for FIOS and $10.59 in assorted taxes. I can't use Vonage or other VOIP services with the home security system that I have.

It's only $5 with the internet and cable with Verizon

I have Vonage and it's $17 a month and that includes all the taxes etc. I think it was about $12 without taxes

If you have a home phone, what is the monthly cost? What company do you use? VOIP?

Thanks for any info!