7 Reasons to Keep Your Landline Phone

These days, it seems like everyone is ditching their home phone and relying exclusively on their cell phones for their communication needs. But, before you decide to join the party, check out these things your trusty landline can do that a cell phone can’t.

• Make long distance calls without paying an arm and a leg – Cell phones typically have very high long distance rates. If you have to call out of state or out of country often, you might save big by using your landline to make those calls.

• Keep your DVR working – It’s true, DVRs need to gather programming data, and most use a landline for this. If your DVR requires a local phone line, shutting off your phone service may force you to watch your favorite show live, like we did back in the dark ages.

• Stay connected during a disaster – As anyone who lived through Hurricane Ike here in Houston can tell you, cell phone availability during an emergency is anything but solid. Having a landline gives you a reliable way to make contact during a disaster.

• Ensure people can understand what you’re saying – Call quality on cell phones hasn’t quite caught up with what’s available on landlines. Make sure your friends and family don’t get a mixed message by making calls with your landline while you’re home.

• Allow emergency operators to locate you 100 percent of the time– While strides have been made towards updating cell phone and 911 systems so that operators can locate the source of an emergency call made with a cell phone, not all systems are ready. If you make a 911 call with a landline, the operator can always locate you.

• Save on cellular overage charges – For most people, it’s quite easy to go over their monthly allotment of cell phone minutes. A landline can help ease the burden on your poor, overworked cellular plan.

• Keeping your home protection system connected – If you currently have a home protection system, chances are it’s hardwired into your landline system. In that case, discontinuing your phone service will also disconnect your alarm system.

J.D. Power and Associates: Bright House Networks Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction

For the third consecutive year, Bright House Networks ranks highest in customer satisfaction among U.S. telephone service providers in the South according to the report recently released by J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Residential Regional Telephone Customer Satisfaction Study.

Bright House highest ranking performance in the Residential Regional Telephone Customer Satisfaction Study was a result of highest scores in customer service, billing, performance and reliability, cost of service, billing, and offerings and promotions. The study was based on responses collected in July 2008 from more than 13,600 customers nationwide who receive their local and long distance telephone service from one provider.

J.D. Power and Associates reported that the 2008 study marks the second consecutive year that cable television providers have dominated the highest-ranking positions across all regions examined in the study. The study finds that overall satisfaction is higher among customers who bundle two or more services with one provider, compared with customers subscribing to phone service alone. Satisfaction among "double-play and triple-play customers"—those subscribing to some combination of telephone, cable and Internet service—is 25 index points higher than among those customers subscribing to just phone service.

Find Bright House Networks home phone plans and pricing available in your area.

Cable Industry: Triple Play Good for Consumers!

According to a recent study commissioned by the National Cable & Television Association, cable’s decade-plus investments in modern digital networks, which they say allows consumers to choose among a wide variety of products and bundled services – including digital high-definition video, high-speed data, and digital voice – provides about $35 billion in annual consumer benefits.

"Consumers as a whole have unequivocally benefited from the transformation of the cable industry over the past ten years and its investment and entry into voice and high-speed data markets,” the report states. “The benefits can be attributed to the cable industry’s massive investments in deployment of advanced communications infrastructure, which enables provision of new digital video, data, and voice services.  Consumers have voted with their feet by subscribing to these new services in ever-increasing numbers.” 

The study, prepared by Microeconomic Consulting & Research Associates, Inc. (MiCRA), found that about 60 percent of cable customers subscribe to broadband Internet service, 26 percent subscribe to digital voice service, and the penetration of each service continues to grow steadily.  The triple-play bundle of digital video, broadband, and digital voice service continues to attract a larger share of cable customers, which provides the greatest opportunity for consumer savings. 

The researches used bundled service figures from the top three cable operators, Comcast, Time Warner and Cox. According to those three, 23% chose a triple play of cable, Internet and phone, in 2008, up from around 10% in 2007.

For more information, download the incredibly detailed PDF of the whole survey. Or just find a triple play bundle available in your area. 

CenturyTel and EMBARQ Merger Approved By FCC

CenturyTel and Embarq Corporation announced last week that CenturyTel's pending acquisition of EMBARQ has received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The merger now has received all necessary approvals, and the companies expect the merger to be effective on July 1, 2009.

“The FCC’s approval is a significant and exciting milestone toward completing the merger,” said Glen F. Post III, CenturyTel's chairman and chief executive officer. “It has been a rigorous review process and we are pleased to have the FCC’s approval and recognition that the combination of CenturyTel and EMBARQ offers many benefits to our customers and the communities we serve.”

“We have committed to the FCC that we will remain focused on infrastructure development and broadband deployment after completion of the merger,” said Tom Gerke, EMBARQ's chief executive officer. “Our combined company is committed to investing in our communities and providing our customers high-quality, reliable communications and expanded broadband services.”

We will keep an eye out for how this will affect current customers and ordering service from the combined company moving forward.

Verizon to Shed Landlines in 14 States

As part of Verizon Communications’ strategy to focus on wireless, broadband and FiOS fiber-optic services, they will sell their predominantly rural landlines across 14 states to Frontier Communications. This translates to the sale and transfer of 4.5 million landlines and related assets.

The big winners in this transaction will be stockholders and Frontier. All-in-all, Verizon stockholders will receive a total value of $8.6 billion and Frontier will become the largest operator of rural communications services across the U.S.

The states affected will be Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, West Virgina, Wisconsin and some parts of California. The time line given by Verizon for the full transfer of all assets is 12 months.

For more information regarding this transaction and how it may affect you as a current Verizon customer, visit CNET News and Verizon Investor Relations.

Society Needs to Pay More Attention

As a society we've become multitaskers with fancy gadgets that only facilitate our need to do more. It's now very common to see a teen walking and texting or riding a bike and listening to an MP3 player. Even adults text or talk on their cell phones while driving. But can all that multitasking be dangerous?

Well according to this article, Heads Up: Cell Phones Add to Risk When Crossing Street, Study Shows, I read on TechNewsWorld, multitasking makes us more prone to accidents. Read the article to keep you and your family safe.

Bundling 101

If the economy has got you down and you are looking to cut costs around the house, one of the first places you will probably look will be home services like TV, high-speed Internet and phone service. Before you give up your beloved movie channels or downgrade to dial-up, considering bundling your home services to save.

Here are some points to consider before shopping for bundled services:

Know Your Options
Find out what companies service your area. While most households only have one cable company available, don't forget to investigate telcom companies like AT&T and Verizon. These companies either offer their own options or bundle their services with satellite providers.

Become a Bundle Expert
Knowing what to look for can help save you even more. With most providers, signing up for more services equals more savings. In addition to TV, Internet and phone service, bundles also have the option of integrated services like caller ID on your TV screen, which is offered with some phone and cable packages. In addition, triple-play offers often come with more extras, such as free installation and free premium channels. Plus, you are more likely to be guaranteed low rates for a longer period of time with triple-play than when subscribing to services one at a time.

It's All in the Details
Before you make a choice, weigh your options! Don't choose one company over another strictly based on price. If you aren't getting the features or channels that you want, it might not be worth it to save a few dollars a month, especially if you have to pay a fee to cancel your service when you realize you are unhappy with it. Find out which TV providers carry programming you really want. Check your budget and see how much you spend going out to the movies. It may be more cost effective to upgrade your premium movie package and cut back on your theater time! Also, keep in mind that fiber and satellite usually have a termination fees but cable rarely charge them.

These are just a few of the important things you should consider when choosing to bundle your home services. Check out WhiteFence.com Bundled Services section to see what's available in your area to get started.

Fiber-Optic Providers Are Leading Choices for Internet, TV, and Phone Service Bundles

According to a recent report released by Consumer Reports, people looking to cut costs without sacrificing satisfaction for Internet, television, and telephone service should consider bundling with Verizon FiOS or AT&T U-verse. 

The magazine found that Intense competition for cable and satellite customers between AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS high-speed fiber providers has driven down rates for bundled services. Bundles of the three services have dropped in price by up to 20 percent in the last year, to as low as $80 a month.

The survey also reveals that subscribers were very satisfied with services from the top telecom providers. Consumer Reports readers scores for Internet, phone, and TV, found that Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse were the most consistently satisfying providers.

For more information on the survey, pick up the February issue of Consumer Reports from your newsstand or visit consumerreports.org.

Get the Average Utility Costs for December

The December data has been updated at the WhiteFence Index, our handy little tool that shows the average utility costs among 20+ of the top U.S. cities. You can compare phone, high-speed Internet, cable TV, electricity and natural gas prices in cities like New York, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and more.

The index also allows you to compare by city or by service, giving a ton of options to dig down and see what our neighbors are paying for home services.

WSJ MarketWatch Recommeds WhiteFence.com

Looking to save money on home services? In their recent article Cutting TV, Internet and Phone Bills, The Wall Stret Journal MarketWatch recommends bundling your services and checking out WhiteFence.com!

...in an effort to cut your bill, take a look around the Web to see what specials are available from all the providers in your area, including cable, satellite, DSL and fiber-optic service. Sites including WhiteFence.com can help consumers compare rates for services side by side...

The article also suggests that for households using all three services, bundling can often be a better deal than purchasing services a la carte.  

Bundle your phone, Internet and TV to save money today!