After the rebuilding of infrastructure after Hurricane Sandy, telephone providers lobbied Congress to eliminate provisions mandating affordable landline service. The companies succeeded in convincing Congress that rebuilding that infrastructure was too costly and more people are using cellphones. AARP Wisconsin is backing a bill here which would mandate Wisconsin residents still have access to landlines.
AARP'S Helen Marks Dicks says they're gathering stories from people who need landlines, especially those persons with reportable medical conditions...
"....particularly for medical devices. What people don't realize is people are reporting medical conditions. As one of my advocates told (her) you can report your blood pressure and heart rate by landline, but you can't do it by cellphone...."
Marks Dicks says this is especially important in 11 of Wisconsin’s counties where wireless service is unreliable or nonexistent.
Wisconsin Senate Bill 240 would restore the "Provider Of Last Resort" rules in Wisconsin. More information is on the AARP website.
