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Q&A: Should I keep landline telephone service?
Published January 13, 2015
Q: We have cell phones and a landline. We're considering dropping the landline since we rarely use it. But friends have suggested that it's good to keep in case of a natural disaster. Is that good advice?
A: It depends in part on your phone service. If it reaches your home with an old-fashioned copper wire and you own a simple corded phone, a power outage shouldn't affect your ability to make calls. But if you're connected via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and you lose power, you'd lose phone service unless you have a battery backup from your provider.
Incidentally, when we surveyed readers about their experiences during Superstorm Sandy, many indicated that cell-phone service stood up better than landline service, and making 911 calls on their cell wasn't a problem.
—Consumer Reports
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