To the Editor:
How few does a group of people have to be not to matter? How many do they have to number in order to be recognized and respected by state officials?
A substantial minority of people in New Jersey still depend exclusively on landline phone service. Most have depended on their landline phones for many years and keep the ‘old copper’ line because it is inexpensive and reliable. Even when the power goes out, the phone line still works.
Thousands of seniors and others depend on their home phone for medical monitoring, home security systems, and in case of emergency—landline services isn’t just a phone line; it’s also a lifeline.
But that lifeline is at risk. Verizon is refusing to repair landlines in the Garden State and instead is foisting upon them an inadequate wireless home phone option—one that doesn’t work with many medical monitoring devices, security systems, and can’t be traced in an emergency like a landline phone. Verizon customers would be forced to accept inferior service or pay much more for extra products to get the same services their landline phones currently provide.
Does the Board of Public Utilities care? Do legislative leaders care? Inaction speaks volumes.
DOUGLAS JOHNSTON
AARP NJ Governmental Affairs Manager