[BC] POTS reliability...

[Dana Puopolo]

I keep one POTS line at my house, though I use VOIP for most of my calls. The
POTS line is measured service with no LD carrier. I get $6.80 worth of message
unit credits a month. I make some local calls on it and use penny a minute
calling cards from the 99 cents only store for any LD calls. It costs 14
dollars a month with all taxes and fees and also has my DSL on it. If I had
bought DSL by itself it would have cost 5 dollars a month more, so looking at
it that way the POTS line only cost $9.00 a month. I have my FAX machine on
it, so most outgoing calls are FAXes. I like having access to the E-911 that
only POTS can give (I have two small children here).

-D

From: Craig Bowman <craig1 at shianet.org>

During the east cost blackout several years ago many radio and 
television stations found their phone service interrupted once the phone 
companies ups powering the fiber died.  Stations which still had copper 
lines to the CO ( I insist on that for request / hot lines and at least 
one fax machine) were the only dial tone in the building.