[Hidden-tech] Phone Service Alternatives?

[ussailis at shaysnet.com]

Here's more to consider:

1. If a tree takes the power down, say on your street, are the phone lines
going to stop the tree fall? I doubt it.

FYI, the phone lines and cablevision lines are the lower lines on the pole.
The upper wires are power.

2. Cell towers often use a T-1 or T-3 line for getting into the phone
network. That is, where these lines are available. Radio communication is
from you to the tower. For example as I recall there were more than a dozen
T-1 lines brought into 221 Pine St in Florence when the chimney was first
used for two cell companies' antennas. 

At the time I was told by a Verizon guy that there were no T-1 lines there,
so I pointed the line that ran over my office ceiling tiles to an ISP that
went belly-up several years before. Verizon keeps good records!

Sometimes these T-1 and T-3 lines are also affixed to the poles. Cheaper to
repair that way.

Although I don't know, I would expect the cell companies talk
tower-to-tower in the hill towns.

3. Since the fiasco in New Orleans there has been a move to have cell
companies provide back-up systems and mobile systems. I wouldn't be
surprised if they had a generator at the tower sites, esp in the hills.


Jim Ussailis  


Original Message:
-----------------
From: Robert Heller heller at deepsoft.com
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 2010 18:03:01 -0500
To: reva at revareck.com, Hidden-discuss at mm01.tnrnet.com
Subject: Re: [Hidden-tech] Phone Service Alternatives?


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At Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:23:39 -0500 Reva Reck <reva at revareck.com> wrote:

> 
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>    ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's
area.
>    ** If you did, we all thank you.
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think there's a lot to be said for keeping a true copper landline, 
> especially if you live in a remote area. You can get their cheapest plan 
> - one where you pay for every call - for very little money, and then use 
> something like magicJack or whatever for most of your actual phone 
> calls. I think people should think about being without power, possibly 
> in a situation where roads are impassable, and having no way to make a 
> phone call. For those of us who don't get cell service at our homes, 
> that's a prettty scary scenario. Even if you do get cell service at your 
> home, will the cell tower you get your signal from be operational if 
> there are widespread power outages?

Actually, I think Verizon no longer bothers to maintain any sort of
long-term backup power for the copper phone system -- any long term
power failure generally takes the phone server down too.  It might be
delayed for 10-12 hours or something.  Last year's ice storm did NOT
knock the main phone lines down in Wendell, but phone service was
down until *power* was restored in Orange (the location of the CO for
Wendell). People with generators and satelite internet were able to stay
on-line and in communication.  Wendell's emergency planning is working
on the assumption that phone service will be out in the event of any
major emergency.


> 
> /Reva Reck/
> 
> /reva//@//revareck.com/
> 
> 
> 
> Robert Heller wrote:
> >    ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's
area.
> >    ** If you did, we all thank you.
> >
> >
> > At Tue, 5 Jan 2010 12:08:47 -0500 Frank Aronson <fsaronson at gmail.com>
wrote:
> >
> >   
> >> Keep in mind that both MagicJack and Phone Power are both VoIP and are
not
> >> true landlines.  The great advantage to Phone Power is that it doesn't
> >> require a "server" (a computer to run the software) as its all
contained in
> >> the "free" adapter (a la Vonage).  I assume it also works a bit better
than
> >> MagicJack and the cost is lower than Vonage (right now you can get a
> >> residential line for $8.33/year with a two year commitment).
> >>
> >> The only *true* landline you're going to find is Verizon.  We have
Comcast,
> >> but if you lose power, you're pretty much down (yes, there's a battery
> >> backup, but it doesn't last forever).  The old copper lines will still
> >> provide power to your wired phone even if you can't see the buttons in
the
> >> dark!
> >>     
> >
> > It should also be noted: Verizon wants to get out of the copper landline
> > business.  Verizon is also *barely* maintaining the copper landline
> > infrastructure, which in rural areas can be pretty bad (there are people
> > who lose phone service when it rains because the phone cables fill up
> > with water).  Oh, Verizon charges something like $60/month for service
> > that is equivalent to Vonage (eg nationwide long distance, voicemail,
> > etc.). Not really the best deal available (probably the *worst* deal
> > available). 
> >
> >   
> >> Frank
> >>
> >>     
> >
> >   
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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