Honestly, if I really needed a phone for finding jobs or other things, I'd buy a burner phone for that purpose, which I'd shut off when I've found a job.

I was interviewing for jobs the past 4 months, and asked nicely if they would be willing to use Hangouts instead of a phone call because of lots of robocalls. Third party recruiters might refuse(but I avoid them at all costs), but I've yet to have hiring managers or engineers be unwilling to do so. Small businesses are in a tough place, but an individual really does have plenty of options for avoiding phone calls.

EDIT: I'm being a little myopic here, since not everyone is applying for engineering positions. lol Employers outside SV probably won't be receptive to not using the legacy phone system.