News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Let Children Get Bored Again by dmoy on Sunday September 15, 2019 @02:15PM (#20978610)
Not for the majority of households anymore
Re:Let Children Get Bored Again by dredmorbius on Sunday September 15, 2019 @09:21PM (#20980433)
Most don't use one.

Most have access to one, in the developed world.

So there's the option, but it's a service change for many. Which is an argument against your comment.

If you're taking the broader view -- outside developed countries, or to a time when POTS / PSTN are deprecated or abandoned, and I could see that happening within the next five years given recent trends, possibly not. Which is an argument for your comment.

My experience is that both landline and mobile have their own extreme annoyance and distraction factors. So be it.

Outright dismissal may be not fully appropriate and premature though.

Re:Let Children Get Bored Again by dmoy on Sunday September 15, 2019 @10:06PM (#20980581)
At least in the US, the 50% crossover of households without landlines was a few years back.
Re:Let Children Get Bored Again by dredmorbius on Monday September 16, 2019 @02:26AM (#20981551)
Absolutely, and I'm agreeing with that.

Though again, that's households without landline service. The households still have landline access, in the sense that they're wired to the network.

The actual penetration is closer to 20% now in many regions. Staggeringly low. And again, I think PSDN as a whole -- that's mobile dialed and VOIP SIP calls, as well as POTS -- may not be long for this world. The spam / robocall issue is the tip of the iceberg. Personal and business fraud is another major element.

Re:Let Children Get Bored Again by 13of40 on Sunday September 15, 2019 @05:52PM (#20979694)
I'm not even sure the land line wiring in my house is functional at this point, to be honest. You could always get a VOIP adapter and plug your old phone into it, though.
Re:Let Children Get Bored Again by klyrs on Sunday September 15, 2019 @02:54PM (#20978842)
They're relatively affordable. Probably less than your data plan. No-screentime may take a bit of planning and preparation.
Re:Let Children Get Bored Again by leesalminen on Sunday September 15, 2019 @03:32PM (#20979046)
$60/mo for long distance calling with CenturyLink where we are.
Re:Let Children Get Bored Again by dmoy on Sunday September 15, 2019 @07:31PM (#20980097)
My landline, if I had one, would cost three times more than my voice/text only phone plan.

For median household income it would cost 1.5% of after tax income for just the landline