Consistent with the seemingly endless parade of things to do when moving, selecting the best service provider for communication needs deserves attention.
Does the new abode have a landline? If so, do you need it? In today’s era of quite sophisticated yet easy-to-use communications devices, many residents have abandoned landlines altogether. The reason is simple – cell phones. Our newfound dependence on cell phones, which are easily carried in pockets or purses, have displaced the previous ubiquitous assumption that all homes must have landlines. No doubt homes are likely equipped for landlines, gone is the requisite to activate the line when its use will be limited at best or just an ancillary and unnecessary expense added to the household budget.
In the spring of 2017, the New York Post reported on a government study conducted during the second half of the calendar year 2016. The study was commissioned to learn how many homes and apartments actually still have landlines. The survey results indicate that more than half of America’s homes do not have landlines. Of those surveyed, 51% report only having cell phone service. Less than 46% of those surveyed reported they still have landline phones, while the remaining 3% apparently attest they have no phone service of any kind. According to the study, this indicates that households without landlines now exceed those which have them. About 40% of households report having both. Many of those prefer to have both, as cell phones are easy to misplace, sometimes malfunction unexpectedly, and can easily be damaged rendering the phone inoperable until a replacement arrives.
Landlines are still very important to the expanding population of the workforce who find themselves working at home. When the new home’s spare bedroom or basement doubles as a makeshift office, many will rely on landline service separate from their conversational needs to accommodate fax machines, which remain operable without interrupting conventional telephone communications.
Thanks to satellite communications, high-speed cable and fiber optics, many consumers can enjoy one-stop shopping by combining their communication carrier’s service with other commonly offered services from the same carrier.
For instance, you may be able to obtain cell phone service, landline service (if deemed necessary), hundreds of television channels, and high-speed internet service, all directly provided to the same household requiring just one monthly bill. For many this makes household budget management simpler since there’s only one monthly fee instead of a bill for each service if billed separately by multiple service providers.
If you are thinking of outfitting new home communications with such conveniences, be sure to first check if the services needed are offered in the new area entered. While nationally advertised and promoted communications companies’ suite of services can be seen by everyone, the same advertised suite of services might not be available to everyone. This is because of infrastructural limitations in many areas where providers are not able to reach all homes they hope to serve. For example, fiber optic service direct to a home will have to be postponed if the service provider can’t connect to your house. As providers compete to dominate consumer markets efforts are underway to remedy these connectivity issues.
If able, shop for any or all of these services aggressively. Companies often feature discounted rates in the form of move-in bonuses for new customers as they welcome customers to the neighborhood served. It may be possible to negotiate even more aggressive discounting if a long-term service contract is offered, but use caution here as the penalties to prematurely terminate such an agreement can be punitive.
