{"id":114695,"date":"2009-12-30T09:00:24","date_gmt":"2009-12-30T14:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/?p=88556"},"modified":"2009-12-30T09:00:24","modified_gmt":"2009-12-30T14:00:24","slug":"att-to-fcc-let-my-landlines-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/114695","title":{"rendered":"AT&T to FCC: Let My Landlines Go!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/a>The Federal Communications Commission is delving into the future of communications<\/a> with a request for comments on an all-IP telephone network. Last week, AT&T filed its comments, which shows someone at the carrier is reading GigaOM, or at least the writing on the wall<\/a> when it comes to landlines<\/a>. In a 32-page filing<\/a>, Ma Bell asked the FCC to eliminate regulatory requirements that it support a landline network and to provide a deadline for phasing it out.<\/p>\n

The (almost) one in five Americans relying exclusively on a plain old telephone line should prepare to kiss that wall jack goodbye as the major wireline telephone providers back away from that dying (and expensive business). However, AT&T in its filing doesn’t offer a way to bridge the gap for that 20 percent of Americans relying only on landlines, nor does it address what an all-IP future means for the 33 percent of Americans who have access to broadband but do not subscribe<\/a> (although those broadband laggards might be paying for a digital voice product from a cable provider).<\/p>\n

To defend the rush to VoIP, AT&T offered data that shows how the increase in voice options, from cellular phones to cable VoIP, and the rise in costs associated with running a switched access network are hurting its business while providing little benefit to the consumer. We pointed this out in an April story<\/a>, later picked up in the NY Times<\/a>, although the Times got the credit in the AT&T filing. But AT&T offers some other scary stats:<\/p>\n