Show of hands...who even has a traditional landline anymore?

[Bread and Circus]

I don't and most people I know don't really have a landline and most I know that do don't really sit at home babying their phone and really use their cell phone as their primary phone now.

I even run my business through a non-traditional line.

I am not trying to refute that Hillary is ahead in the polls. She is from what I can tell. She seems to be a clear front runner from a variety of indicators.

However upon questioning all my Democratic leaning friends I haven't heard anyone say they really like her but there are a couple who say she is their horse due to pragmatic reasons, i.e. the "Bernie is too liberal to get elected" refrain. Additionally, I haven't seen any pro Clinton stickers or signs anywhere.

I just wonder if the transformation in the way we communicate will show that current polling methodologies are more inaccurate than they have in the past.

So back to the question, who here has a traditional landline anymore?

P.S. Feel free to post if you don't have a landline and want to throw that in the pile too.

[HerbChestnut]

1. Not I

[tazkcmo]

2. Nope

We need a poll

[yeoman6987]

12. I agree. I got rid of mine during my last move

Thought I'd save money too. Ha! Not a chance cable companies basically charge the same with cable and Internet without the phone. Go figure.

[PumpkinAle]

3. We do - can't get cell service at the house <end>

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. We do, and we use it all the time.

We also have caller ID on nearly all our phones and we do not pick up if we don't recognize the name or number.

We do have cell phones but rarely use them.

[Bread and Circus]

7. That's another thing that can confound polls... screening calls.

I don't answer unless it is someone I know most of the time. My cellphone also flags things as harassment to tip me off to just ignore the call. What if a polling agency is flagged as harrassment or sales?

[Hepburn]

89. Bless the heavens for caller ID! n/t

[KoKo]

92. We have landlines also...although use Cell Phones for both business and personal.

We have Caller ID on the landlines so that would block pollsters and our cells aren't answered if there's an unidentified caller.

[Worried senior]

114. Same as you Peggy.

[bvf]

5. I was among the last of my friends

and acquaintances to ditch land-line about a year ago.

[MADem]

6. I have three of them.

I use caller ID and call block, though.

I don't 'do' polls. And I think Clinton is a fantastic candidate and will be a great POTUS.

[Bread and Circus]

8. Yea I think I knew that about the Clinton part.

But thanks.

[MaggieD]

9. Me, my ex hubby, parents and inlaws

and my sister. My SIL does not, and neither does my son.

[artislife]

35. Now why isn't this surprising?

[MaggieD]

91. Because lots of people have landlines?

As this thread demonstrates?

[snooper2]

98. People 55 and over have land lines...it's my job to know :)

you don't even need them for alarm systems any more....

And, for people who require tip & ring for fax or whatever device requires it, these cool things called ATA are made. Reminds me I need to talk to Audiocodes again this week

[MaggieD]

101. LOL - unskew those polls!

[Live and Learn]

10. I do but nobody answers it. Sales calls have made it useless. nt

[KT2000]

11. yes I do and

friends who have phones through their computers (DSL & cable) call me to call their carrier when their phones won't work. I learned that our local cable company runs a recording that the call will be answered in 20 minutes or more on a continuous basis.
Cell phones are sketchy in this area.

[pugetres]

13. Not for several years

I'm in my 40s, my husband is in his 60s. We use cell phones. We have a line through our internet provider that we use for a fax machine. A fax isn't necessary anymore but it is much simpler than scanning and emailing certain docs. So we keep it.

My elderly landlord asked me to help him with his cordless phone in his office two days ago. I muddled through his issue but let him know that I haven't used a cordless handset since 2007 and wasn't sure if I could help him with his "ringer" issue. I felt strangely young when I realized that.

[murielm99]

15. We do.

We get our Internet service through that company.

I was polled the other day. It was on my cell phone.

[TwilightGardener]

16. We have one. It's the "official family number". Cell #'s are for

individual/more personal use. I sometimes forget to have my cell nearby or turned on--same with my husband and sons--so it's good to have another line that we can't lose or turn off or forget to charge.

[brush]

67. I'm the same way

Have a cell that I use but sometimes forget to charge or don't have it on me while at home so I keep a land line also as my long-time contact number.

[whathehell]

106. Same here...Land line = Home, cell phones for personal use. nt

[Nay]

120. Us, too. nt

[Agschmid]

17. Yes but it's unused.

[subterranean]

18. I do, but it's usually disconnected.

95% of the calls I get on it are recorded telemarketing calls. I just keep it so I can get the bundle discount with my high-speed Internet service.

[SamKnause]

19. I have a land line.

I do not have a cell phone.

I live in a rural area.

I get my internet through my land line.

The only other choice in my area for the internet is satellite.

There is no cable in my area.

Cell phone service is spotty in my area.

A land line can be a life saver when the electric goes out for days or weeks.

I have never been polled by the Democratic Party.

I have received recorded messages from the Republican Party.

[left on green only]

20. Best Way To Go

I have a universal life line that costs $6 per month. Unlimited number of local calls out, and unlimited number of any type of call in. I am also on the Do Not Call Registry and my telephone number is unlisted. All of my incoming calls go directly to voice mail, so if you are not willing to vocally identify yourself to me, you will never experience the sensation of hearing me answer your call.

The thought of having my private life disturbed by a cell phone call while I am out and about in public is one of the most offensive experiences that I can imagine. Not to mention the panic of realizing that you may have lost your cell phone, or that it may have been stolen from you, that most cell phone users are all too familiar with.

I think all of the people who pay for, and carry cell phones around on their person wherever they go, deserve exactly the quality of experiences in life that they spend so much of their money to support.

Oh, and did I mention that I don't think very highly of cell phones?

[brush]

69. Cell phones nowadays do a lot more than make/receive calls

Watch video, text messaging/receiving, search, internet, email, GPS, watch TV, movies, take photos, VIDEO TAPE BRUTAL COPS — you can do all these things and more with cell phones.

The last usage is of utmost importance and has swung public opinion away from always believing whatever cops say about their arrests/killings.

BTW, I also keep my long-time landline.

[Kilgore]

83. That's why God put an off switch on the cell phone

[snooper2]

100. enjoy it for another five or six years as all of the DMS and 5ESS switches are pulled out

I can replace aisles of this huge fucking monster from 40 years ago with two bays of softswitch equipment

[CountAllVotes]

110. same here

Mine is limited to 60 calls a month and the cost is $3.72/mo. Can't beat that deal and no, I don't have and don't want a cell phone.

[left on green only]

125. .

[KMOD]

21. We don't use it often, but of course we have one.

It's cheap, and it's common sense for now, in case of an emergency.

[jeff47]

129. Btw, you don't need to have your own line in case of emergency.

Phone companies are required to provide 911 service to every landline, whether or not you have service with that phone company.

(Most companies also make 611 work so you can order service, since they have to have the line connected anyway for 911 service)

[KMOD]

139. That's good to know.

[NBachers]

22. Still got mine. I feel stable because I've had the same number since 1992.

I went back in history and found that my 647 interchange used to be MIssion 7, so I say "MIssion 7-XXXX" on my answering machine.

Sometimes I run out in the morning and forget my cell phone. I'm afraid for all the calls and messages I'll miss. Then I get home, and find out no-one called or messaged me, anyway.

[Samantha]

23. I have one and will never give it up unless I am forced to

I was in DC when 9/11 happened, and that was the first time I learned that in times of a national crisis, cells are limited to VIP's. The average man or woman had no usage because that was restricted to people in the government and others deemed very important.

But landlines are so much cheaper, if I had to choose one or the other, I would stick with the landline.

Sam

[RKP5637]

109. Sometimes land lines are also more reliable in many emergencies depending on where the lines are

routed, etc. Cell phone towers blow over, etc., but often land lines will continue on, even during massive power outages and storms. And, no batteries to charge during extended power outages.

[Nay]

119. That's basically why we keep ours, plus we've had the same phone #

for 30 years. I also find that landline phones don't distort/break up voices as some cells do sometimes.

[Midnight Writer]

24. I have a land line, and no cell phone

But I use Caller ID to screen calls. If I do not know the caller personally, I do not respond.

I once had a cell phone, briefly, but found it to be intrusive to my life.

[Live and Learn]

26. Cell phones can be turned off, you know? nt

[winter is coming]

25. We do, but we only answer calls from known numbers.

Anyone else who really wants to talk to us can leave a message.

[MrWendel]

27. Yes..

Got a line line (Which I will never give up) and a cell.

[Basic LA]

28. For Earthquake safety.

It's said that when power goes out here in California (as it always does) in an earthquake, a landline will work even when cell towers are offline.

[jkbRN]

29. Same here

It stays unplugged (hate the telemarketers) unless someone needs to use it

[artislife]

36. I had a landline years ago.

When I had it plugged in, I got roped into donating for a local police charity. They didn't have the budget for salaries or something. About two months later, I was speeding up a hill, the only way to get my kia up it and was pulled over by the police. Yeah, the police I had donated to.

So I got a cell phone sometime later and unplugged my landline for a month or so. I plugged it back in and within 20 minutes I had another call asking for money for the same police.

I haven't had a landline in almost 10 years.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

76. I just tell em no.

I don't donate to ANYTHING via phone calls. If they want me to even consider asking me for a donation, they can mail it or email it, and even then I rarely give to such. I prefer to choose my own charities, not get hit up by some group because somebody sold my name on as a donor able to be hit up for everything and anything.

[akbacchus_BC]

30. I have a land line as well as a cell phone, but my cell phone

does not have data, I use it only for emergencies and for text messages. I have relatives outside of North America that I use the land line to call.

I do not see the need to have data on my cell phone when am paying for internet service on my home computer.

[SunSeeker]

31. Like just about everyone I know, we have a house land line and each family member has a cell phone.

We always give our home number when asked for a phone number for credit cards, online accounts, etc. We know those numbers are sold off to telemarketing so we don't want them to have our cell numbers to bother us with calls while we're out and about.

[akbacchus_BC]

32. I agree with you regarding who calls you on your cell phone.

At work, I would never grab my cell phone if it rings, but these days telemarketers call you on your cell phone and I do not answer!

[Binkie The Clown]

33. No land line, prepaid minutes flip phone (no camera, and definitely not "smart")

My camera is a camera. My phone is a phone. My coffee mug does not have a built in electric pencil sharpener. I'm a keep-it-simple kind of guy. 70 years old, Bernie supporter. Never been polled.

[Recursion]

34. Sigh. This again

62% of Americans have landlines at home.

Every single polling firm also polls people without landlines.

This is so 2004...

[stillwaiting]

48. And this is misleading. Shocking.

Many of the recent polls rely much more heavily on landline respondents, and that is a population that is going to trend much more conservative (being resistant to change).

[onenote]

77. I do. As do most people I know.

They all also have cell phones.

[vicman]

37. One thing I miss about those ancient

phone wires, when the power went out, they still worked. I think they still do.

[beam me up scottie]

41. They do but cell phones work when the power goes out too.

I can watch movies, surf, talk to friends, I don't even care when the power goes out now.

Plus during tornado weather I have instant access to local radar which is a comfort.

[brush]

73. Ahhh . . . cells work until you need to recharge them

It's useful keep both a land and cell phones since land lines are really cheap.

[beam me up scottie]

75. We can use the chargers in our vehicles if the power's out.

Our land line was always getting taken out during storms, not a problem anymore.

[Beacool]

38. I do.

I'm not about to walk all over the house with a cell phone in my hand. If I'm in my bedroom and the cell phone is in the living room, I won't hear it. Besides, on 9/11 and the blackout we had a few years ago, land lines were the only phones that worked.

[tech3149]

39. I do and will keep it as long as I can

Unfortunately, the local telco changed us over to fiber in 2012 so one of the primary benefits is gone. That benefit is the requirement for back up power. A Telco is required to have 48 hrs of capacity for power outages. My fiber interface only provides 8 hrs. If you've ever lived through long term power outages you know what a benefit that is.

My other reason is audio quality. The last decade I worked I was surgically attached to a cell phone. The intelligibility was poor at best and never very consistent. Even today I hear people call in to radio shows and it is obvious they are on some sort of wireless device. I've got a Western Electric rotary dial in the cellar that could beat many smartphones in audio quality.

[BlueMTexpat]

40. I do. eom

[livetohike]

42. I do. The cell phone reception out here is terrible. I have a cell phone,

anyone who calls me knows to call the land line.

Nearly everyone I know has a land line with the exception of two of my nieces.

[Vinca]

43. I do, but like many people in an early primary state, I also have caller ID.

It doesn't take long to recognize who the polling companies are and ignore them. It's really kind of a miracle. One day the phone is ringing off the hook driving us crazy and the next, after the vote, silence. The politicians have started with their robocalls, too. AAARRRGGHHH.

[NCTraveler]

44. No land line at home.

Yes land line at work.

[IDemo]

45. We're both retired from the phone company

And we went to cell-only not long afterwards.

[RiverLover]

46. My elderly father has one only for his medical alert, since he lives alone.

He said they couldn't use his cell phone to link up with them.

[Ino]

47. I have a landline I use exclusively. (nt)

[HockeyMom]

49. Daughter's landline worked during Sandy

Our cell phones had no signal. Cell phones couldn't be charged either without electricity. She, and her sister, got a free landline with their cable service. That landline helped us to call and know everyone was safe.

I don't have a landline in Florida. Definitely if my cable service offered one, I would take it for emergency use.

[SidDithers]

50. Why not ask the question as a poll?...nt

Sid

[Bread and Circus]

70. Because I like the narrative people offer...plus online polls are "non-scientific" or so I've heard.

[Vattel]

51. I have one but I never actually answer it.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

52. I do. n/t

[Dale Neiburg]

53. I do -- analog copper even! (nt)

[DrDan]

54. Land line here with iur cells

[Warren DeMontague]

55. land mines are horrible things, which are banned by many international treaties.

[Bread and Circus]

74. Clinton's relationship with land mines is fodder for a different thread. Ahem...

and cluster bombs for that matter.

[thesquanderer]

56. Does a VOIP line count as a land line? It's not a cell. Do landline polls call them?

Besides VOIP, I also have a cell phone, but it's basically for emergency/travel use only. Compared to a land line, it has lesser sound quality, less reliable connectivity (at least where I live), is less comfortable to use, is easy to misplace around the house, it rings in only one place, is easily accidentally left off (or silent), or if left on, often runs out of charge. In some scenarios, it can be more expensive, too.

I think part of the issue is that I don't use any phone all that much, and a cell phone kind of has to become part of your daily liftestyle/routine, or else it often seems to end up off or out of charge or inconveniently located or misplaced when you want it. At least for me.

To some extent, I understand, it's a generational thing. But I wonder if that's not simply a matter of what you've grown up used to, but also the stage of life you're in. If you're a young single person basically living in one room or a studio apartment, your phone usage/location issues may be different than if you're living in a bigger space with a partner and kids.

[brooklynite]

59. Doesn't count because it'll go out if the power goes out.

[thesquanderer]

65. Yeah, that's one of the reasons to also have a cell. Or friendly neighbors. ;-)

But that stil leaves me with the question as to whether these non-cell numbers are included in what are referred to as landline polls.

[-none]

111. Mine doesn't go out.

My VoIP phone is separate from the computers and is plugged into the same UPS as the fiber modem and switches are. I don't know how long that will run, because it has always outlasted any hours long power failures.
The only thing not plugged into a UPS is the printer.
All power for anything computer related, goes through a surge protector meant for a big office copy machine. That includes the 4 UPS.

[brooklynite]

121. The critical point being the UPS...

[jeff47]

130. It's under the same rules as cell phones, so (theoretically) no robocalls/robopolls (nt)

[bigwillq]

57. My parents do (nt)

[hack89]

58. I have one. nt

[Android3.14]

60. We live in a "dead zone" as far as cell coverage

So our household has multiple cell phones and one landline. You ought to post a poll.

[pladedump]

61. I don't have one.

I gave up my landline a few years ago and I've found that I don't miss it.

[procon]

62. I have one.

I live in a fringe area and cell service is very unreliable, so it is my primary phone.

[The Blue Pot]

63. No landlines.

I've never been polled before.

[nc4bo]

64. No landline here, none of my kids or their SO's have one.

Cell and cable phones all the way. In fact, we never even answer our voip line, it was a part of the cable bundle and only got it because the bundle was cheaper than cable tv + internet only.

[99Forever]

66. For our DSL only.

Haven't answered a call on that line for years. In fact, the only landlines I know of that get used, are in brick and mortar businesses and my 80 something years old in-laws.

[Koinos]

68. We have a landline.

We are hard of hearing, and cell phones sound terrible. We have a cell phone too, but we always tell people we know to call us on the landline, so we can understand what they are saying.

Cell phones held close to the ear are a cancer risk as well.

We screen our calls and never do polls. To us, the only polls that count are in the voting booth.

Polls are all about self-fulfilling prophecy: "So and so can't win because he or she is behind in the polls."

We follow principle and not polls.

[Hepburn]

88. Oh, ditto to the max

Cells drive my hearing aids crazy a lot of the time! I had some hearing aids that were suppose to adjust to cells and all they did was make the adjusting sound over and over.

[-none]

113. I have a switch in my dominate ear hearing aid for phone use.

I switch it from the normal mic input to a pick-up coil. It works fine for most phones. Some cordless phone do have an irritating buzz though.

[Hepburn]

115. I have never found the phone adjustment on hearing aids to be great

At home, I rely on Clarity phones. They work for me without the aids. I hate wearing hearing aids. They are a total pain. I am starting to rely on ASL and other means rather than plugging those dang things in my ears!

[-none]

117. I don't even notice that I have them in.

When I first got them, I was amazed at what I could hear. Things like birds singing when I was walking to work. I had no idea...
I sometimes have to put a finger in my ear to see if I have them in. I need them to understand some people, otherwise they can sound like an adult in a Charley Brown's cartoon.
I usually need them when talking on telephones. I also needed them to understand my kids when they were growing up.

[Hepburn]

118. Yeah, like that with my first pair way back when

But my hearing loss was not as bad as it is now.

Over the years I have learned to lip read and as much as possible, I do not wear the aids. Have to use them in court hearings...and take them out ASAP when I am done. They just really bother me. My ears have always been super sensitive to wind, changes in temp, etc., so I am not surprised that the aids bother me.

I am so glad for you that they work. I wish I had better luck with them. I have had all from inexpensive to very expense -- none seem to feel comfortable to me.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

71. I do.

My parents, who are 30 years older, both have cell phones, but I like the landline. I don't WANT people to be able to call me up when I'm out doing things. It can wait til I'm at home and can take their call or voice message at MY leisure. 95% of phone calls I receive are no benefit to me, so they can wait til I'm interested in taking them.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

72. I don't think this "poll" went the way the seminal poster expected.

I would add most credible pollsters poll both landline and cell phone users and constantly check their surveys to ensure an over or under reliance on either type of user isn't skewing the results.

I would also add that some scientific online polls produce credible results as well.


If you find my claims to be less than truthful you should take a survey methods course which are available at the undergraduate level at any university or college.

[KoKo]

93. Land Line users have Caller ID and Cell Phone users can block unverified calls..

So it would seem to say that Pollsters are having a harder time reaching many Voters than in the past.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

96. Res ipsa loquitur

Land Line users have Caller ID and Cell Phone users can block unverified calls... So it would seem to say that Pollsters are having a harder time reaching many Voters than in the past.

Credible pollsters ensure that the responses are reflective of the entire universe that is to be measured and not just reflective of who and who didn't actually pick up the phone.


If you find my claims to be less than truthful you can take a survey methods course which are available at the undergraduate level at any university or college.

[Bread and Circus]

99. I didn't really have an expected outcome. Some things I do just out of curiosity.

If I wanted to "have an expected outcome" in a manner that I think you are suggesting, I could of worded my question "who here does not have a landline?". Instead I asked for an affirmative answer of those who had a landline, which would draw more of those who do. If there was anything leading about the question in the way I asked it, it would be to see if the usual suspects were the ones with landlines. I definitely see a lot of the usual suspects here. So I guess in that sense I got what I expected. However, that wasn't the only reason I posted the question.

I do think a discussion about our changing ways of communication and how that affects political polling is an interesting one. I would like to see an intelligent post from someone in who really knows the polling industry to weigh in. Emphasis on the intelligent part.

I guess I could have made it a poll instead! I know you love polls DSB!!!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

103. As a social and political scientist I am always...

I guess I could have made it a poll instead! I know you love polls DSB!!!

As a social and political scientist I am always interested in what other folks are thinking and public opinion polling is one method of divining that.

[el_bryanto]

78. I do. I really hate cell phones too.

Honestly I don't want people to be able to bother me 24 hours a day. I don't understand people who do - but I understand that they are in the majority.

Bryant

[FSogol]

79. We have one still. n/t

[riversedge]

80. Our home has one.

[blue cat]

81. Yes , I have one.

But only because we need it for my 81 year old dad because the medical alert necklace he wears requires a landline. We never use it for anything.

[Warren Stupidity]

82. I do but only because that woman I live with who claims she is my wife

insists we need the stupid thing. I find it to be about as useful as a buggy whip, only far more annoying.

[Historic NY]

84. I do its the only one that works after storms....

its not dependent on cable, the phone company installed all new lines when they upgraded to fiber optic cables for broadband. The phone company actually fixed my area because it still uses the switching. I own all the phones in the house. They were all installed by the "deans" of old Ma Bell.

I have a cell but I prefer to use my land line, in fact my (government) office line is switched to it also. I rarely go into the office now only to pick up mail or so to meet someone. I've had it that way for the last 15yrs.

[randome]

85. Not for more than 6 years. No need.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[JaneyVee]

86. I do. And my job has hundreds of them in use.

[Hepburn]

87. I do because it has a phone which is made for the hearing impaired.

In fact, my cell phone is only in my car and it is there for emergency use. I don't text or use a cell for the internet, etc. I think this is because most cells are not very friendly to the hearing impaired and therefore I rarely use one. My land line is the only line I use in the house because my phones are adapted for my hearing disability.

[Sunlei]

90. 3 phones. Love the landline it's buried so even in hurricances or no power, I can connect.

I have DSL verizon from the landline & a dial-up account through peoplepc for any time DSL is down. Haven't used the dial-up feature for well over 5 years but it's there if all three phones fail me.

My Apple iPhone is the worse waste of cash. A cheap cell phone with a pre-paid-card that charges $4 a day only if used that day the best 'emergency' phone. I keep them all on the chargers.

[fredamae]

94. I have Both and Never

ever get polled.

[TacoD]

95. I don't have one, but I was called on my cell by a Quinnipiac pollster anyway (nt)

[TheBlackAdder]

97. Land line and cell phones.

.


Clarity, stability, faster 911 service.


.

[RKP5637]

102. I use VOIP. Cell phones inside are too spotty reception, so in the house, around the yard and

all VOIP + wireless phones. Also, VOIP gives you an incredible phone system with total control. Out and about the cell phone. I could use VOIP to interface with the cell phones, one number for all, but there's an extra charge for that and we don't need that option. The traditional copper line is not used.

With the VOIP I can control incoming calls anyway I want. Route them someplace, give them a busy signal, a disconnect phone alert, whatever. I do that with annoying calls, a permanent busy signal to them.

My first cell phone was a Motorola brick phone. Huge and heavy and belted out a 5 watt analogue signal. I used to get some good reception with that.

[PowerToThePeople]

104. I have been cell phone only for over 20 years. n/t

[UglyGreed]

105. I do

because I'm home 90% of the time. I don't answer the phone if I don't recognize the number though..........

[demwing]

107. Mobile only since 2009

When it became cheaper than the landline, and I use the phone more than the house does, so...

[Trajan]

108. It's been gone for seven years

[Glorfindel]

112. I do

But I'm considering getting rid of it.

[CrispyQ]

116. I love my landline.

I have a cell phone, too, but if I have to make a call of any length or importance, I prefer to do it on my landline.

[MiniMe]

122. I do, landline with caller ID.

Don't answer a lot of calls If I don't recognize the number, or if the number is blocked, I let it go to voicemail. Funny, none of those calls leave a voicemail.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

123. Oh heck yeah!

They'll have to pry my land line from my cold dead hands.

I live in SF and I learned my lesson in '89. No power for hours and hours after The Pretty Big One, but my old school, no frills, plug-in phone still worked. It was so important to get in touch with family members to let them know we were all OK.

[MineralMan]

124. Yup, I have one, with a four-phone cordless system.

It's my main phone number. I also have a cell phone. My wife has two cell phones, one personal and one business. We have an assortment of tablets, Chromebooks, and other Wi-Fi devices, too, including a Google TV dongle.

I'm down to one landline, but have had as many as six, back in the modem and fax machine days.

I'm not sure what your question is about. Go look in a white pages in any city. Count all the landline numbers. Lots and lots of people maintain landline phones. You know when they're useful? When there's a power failure. They always seem to work, even when the local cell tower is down. Odd, huh?

They are also tied to a specific address. If you call 911, for example, that address pops right up at the 911 operator's position. That can be very useful at times.

Don't have a landline? OK. But there are still countless millions of them out there. Most people who vote regularly have one. Isn't that interesting?

[Shrike47]

126. Landline with caller ID. Also have cell.

[truedelphi]

127. Gallup now calls people on their cell phones -

I have only had a cell phone since late September, and the very first call that came in was from Gallup polling.

[CajunBlazer]

147. All major polling organizations canvas cell phones.

The only polls which cannot by law access cell phones are the robo call polls. All of the major polls canvas the cell phones with human callers. Forget any excuse you had along the lines of "the kid vote is not properly canvased in polls and that is why my candidate is actually winning".
Unless you want to continue to lie to yourself.

[Coventina]

128. I have one. And you'll pry it from my cold, dead hands!!

Cell reception in my house is horrible.

In an emergency, I definitely wouldn't want to count on it.

[El Supremo]

131. No. Got rid of Century Link this year and went to AT&T Wireless Home Phone.

Mainly because I saved $30 a month. I got rid of my old wired phones switched to VTech cordless phones. I didn't have to because the Wireless Home Phones can connect to your home's wiring. But the VTech has caller ID. Still have my old phone number. We also have two cell phones (one flip, one smart) for use when away from home.

I'm 64 years old and it took me a long time to finally switch.

[elleng]

132. Dewey defeats Truman!!!

[Chemisse]

133. I do. For 2 reasons.

1. My home reception is bad (rural areas still have that problem).
2. I don't enjoy talking on a cell phone. It burns my ear (sort of) and it's hard to hear on it.

[truedelphi]

148. As far as your point number two -

All the YouTube videos of people popping popcorn on their cellphone seem to indicate this technology might not be all that good for us health wise!

[Chemisse]

156. Indeed. I retain a skepticism about the wisdom of surrounding ourselves

with those fairly high radio frequencies - all the time.

[Dem2]

134. Ooma

For $4/month, everybody should keep their landline phone number as a backup (yes, it's internet based.)

[Matariki]

136. +1

great service.

[DinahMoeHum]

135. I still have a landline. In the event of an emergency. . .

. . .a landline can be a lifeline, AFAIC.

Case in point: when Hurricane Sandy hit my area, there was no electricity for at least 10 days. The only electronics working in my home that time (outside of those devices with charged batteries) was my landline telephone.

Still no real reason for me to ditch it, after all these years.

[Gloria]

137. Me, because it is more secure than wirless

when it comes to talking business on the phone...numbers.

And that is NOT a portable phone either....wall and desk phones only!

[Lilith Rising]

138. I do and I use it quite often.

Almost never use my cell as a phone - it's my text machine.

[Jane Austin]

140. I do

My house is so well insulated that cell reception inside is lousy.

[aidbo]

141. Haven't had a land line in ~10 years.

Have gotten a few calls poll calls before, but ignore the vast majority of numbers I don't recognize. If it is important they'll leave a voicemail.

Most of my non face-to-face communication with friends & family is done through text messages. Not only that, both my boomer parents are cell phone exclusive. Finally got my Pop to use a smart phone instead of his old flip phone.

[DesertRat]

142. I do.

We each have a cell phone and tend to use them for personal use, texting, etc. But we've had the same "home phone" number for years and aren't ready to get rid of it.

[AtomicKitten]

143. I have retained one landline. I occasionally have to fax stuff. <nt>

[MoonRiver]

144. We have a landline, two cell phones, two iPads and two computers.

But, we also have caller ID and I won't answer polling companies. Yeah, they have called on both cell and landline.

[Brother Buzz]

145. Landline with a rotary dial (stubborn Luddite owner of a period home)

When the phone company changed to digital, they accommodated me by back feeding the juice the make it ring on a third wire in the cable from the junction box down the street. The period telephone only receives calls so I have to use one of the digital telephones to make outgoing calls; a modest compromise I can live with.

Methodology, schmethodology, my number NEVER participates in polls, so I must be part of the plus or minus margin of error they always talk about.

[CajunBlazer]

146. Dude, the pollsters canvas cell phones - the kid vote is not left out of polls

But then again the kid demographic has the lowest percentage actually voting.

[MrMickeysMom]

149. I do, but we also have iPhones

I don't answer a lot of calls on the land line. Looks like a waste of money, but we're not "there" yet.

[one_voice]

150. I'm under 50 and I have a landline...

I use my landline for all my calls while I'm in the house. I'm not one of those people that stays glued to my cell. I don't take my cell to bed with me, so any emergency that might happen at night the call would come to my landline my family knows that. I use my caller ID and don't answer numbers I don't recognize....

My daughter is under 30 and she has a landline--she doesn't use hers as much as I use mine though.

[Scootaloo]

151. Last time I had a landline was when dialup internet was still a thing.

[arcane1]

152. Not since 2001 n/t

[Arugula Latte]

153. We do.

Our landline gets used much more than the cell phones for actual conversations. I HATE talking on cell phones. Those are mainly for texting and checking email and maybe Googling something on the road or getting directions.

[pansypoo53219]

154. we do. even have some rotary's around.

and i was polled months ago i think.

[Alkene]

155. I do; it's all I can afford.

Landline +DSL with the Lifeline("Obama phone" program) federal subsidy makes minimal connectivity possible for struggling Americans.