New Tech, Old Backup?

[drcpunk]

mnemex is talking about switching over to FIOS. I want to have a back up if we do this, a functional land line of the type that will work in a blackout, e.g. a non-cordless phone.

mnemex thinks I'm being a little silly, as we have more time by far where there isn't a blackout than when there is.

I am not being silly. I am not being paranoid. I am being sensible and applying the experiences of 2003 and 2006 (I think that's the correct year.)

womzilla: What, it's not as if you've had a ten day power outage -- oh wait, yes you have.

Exactly.

And I have zero confidence that it won't happen again. So, how do we get this wonderful new FIOS future without chopping down our safety net?

Comments

[jl8e]

The phone company may be willing to leave the copper line in, since they can't pull it out of the whole building. They'll likely want more money for it, though, and there may be technical problems with the phone numbers.

Do you have two lines?

A side question: do you still have a phone that works without power?

Other than that, I'd say talk to your neighbors.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

We no longer have two lines. We do have phones that are not cordless phones -- they have cords and stuff. They are what kept me from sheer, mindless panic in 2003.

[ckd]

Order just Internet or Internet and TV, and threaten the installer with bodily harm if he removes the copper. (Or see if there's still a CLEC offering voice service near you; switch to them, and then order FiOS. I think that'll force VZ to leave the copper in place since it's leased from them by the CLEC.)

I'm a technophile. I'd order FiOS in a heartbeat if they offered it here[1]. I'd also never let them rip out the copper voice line, for the same reasons you don't want them to...and that's even with four cell phones in the house on three different carriers. (Two personal phones on T-Mobile. My work phone on Verizon. hr_macgirl's work phone on AT&T.)

[1] Cambridge, MA. You know, the city with absolutely no world-class Institutes of Technology or anything like that around that might attract Internet users? That's why Topsfield (pop. 6200) has it and we don't.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

I like that option. I don't know what's around in terms of a CLEC, but we can try to find that out.