Land line not working when power was out?

[CheyenneWills]

When the power goes out, I switch my phone to a basic landline phone I keep on hand. It takes 4 AA batteries and works without power. Here is a link to the type of phone I am talking about:

https://www.amazon.com/AT-Trimline-Corde...156&sr=8-3

I suspect that any batteries in that phone are for some of the "optional" features, such as the speed dial and not for the actual "telephone" part.


Ultimately what the real issue is, is that the phone company "box" that you and your neighbors phone lines lead back to is powered off the electrical grid (e.g. Xcel).  If the electric grid is down, the "box" falls back to a battery backup which can last only for so long.   

But lets say that the "box" has a generator with a lot of fuel.  If you have an old style cord phone, then you should have phone service for your "land line".  You can verify this by looking at the phone itself.  If the only wire going into the phone is from the phone jack, your phone should continue to work as long as the phone system itself has power.

Anything else within your house (cordless phones, DSL modem, network routers, computers, VoIP boxes, etc.) will require a power source.  If the power grid is down, you would need a UPS (battery backup) or a generator.

[Aztoma]

Hi Jamie,
I am in the Jamestown spur below Ward (not Bar K). My ‘simple’ phone always works when power is out. There is no electric plug, no electricity needed. Cheyenne’s post explains why it works.
I only use this phone during power outages as it is very basic & has a short cord.
M

[JamieP]

Thanks for explaining that Cheyenne! 

Aztoma - I think if I bought your simple phone, it would prove the same issues. My hard landline does just have a wire going into the phone jack. This is why I know that whatever is happening is happening at a CL level. It sounds like the "box" doesn't have enough backup battery power. When I first moved into my house 7 years ago, the landline would stay on for hours. Now it's out with the power. Based on where you're located, you're on a different CL box than us in the Bar-K.

I appreciate the help, but I think it's back to pestering CL for a new back up battery system.

---

I got a hold of someone super helpful at Century Link and have an appointment for a tech to come to my house at 8:30 tomorrow morning. I hope it's true and I get to talk to a real person in the flesh!

[CheyenneWills]

One of the things that will affect how long the land line lasts depends if the "box" the phone company is still using POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) or if it's been switched over to the newer technologies.  If the "box" is still POTS, that means it's still the copper cables and does not need the power grid (the downside is that one cannot get as fast of internet speeds through a POTS system).  If the "box" has been upgraded then it will rely on the power grid (and a set of backup batteries).

Jamestown's service is fiber optics, not POTS (I believe the conversion started even before the flood).  Down canyon the phone services might still be POTS based.

---

I got a hold of someone super helpful at Century Link and have an appointment for a tech to come to my house at 8:30 tomorrow morning. I hope it's true and I get to talk to a real person in the flesh!

Hey .. since you are going to have a face-to-face with a real service person, mention to them that at Elliot's pitch there is a tree that is leaning heavily on the fiber cable.  The tree is on the right side of the stream bank just before the big hair-pin turn (as you head down the canyon from Jamestown).  It appears that the ground near the base of the tree is washing out.

[JamieP]

Thanks Cheyenne! And yes, I will do that!

[JamieP]

GREAT meeting with Century Link! Jerred was really helpful and let me know that he would get word to his manager. He gave me his personal line to check in with him next week and get an update. He thinks the backup batteries need replacing. He lives in Black Hawk and understands the importance of having a landline. He also said there's a ticket in to a contractor for that tree below Elliots Pitch and they're aware of it. 

Hopefully we're on the right path with this!

[JamieP]

Jerred checked in with me today and said he'd keep me posted: 

Good morning sorry for the late response but I did get an answer about the system. The batteries need to be replaced which is why the your phone dies when the power goes out. They have ordered the batteries but they do not have an ETA yet. Hopefully I find some more news out next week. 

Feels like progress maybe?!

[JamieP]

Latest update from Jerred: I reached out to the department that handles it again, and they still have not received the replacement batteries yet. So this morning I reached out to the manager of that department. Hopefully I get a response soon. 

I've asked him for that departments phone number because I'd love to push the urgency of this, but I doubt he'll give it to me. I'll keep you posted!

[JamieP]

After hearing from Jerred that he’s not getting any updates besides the fact the batteries were ordered in January, I’ve been doing some research and found that the contact info for the CPUC might be our best solution.

I’m going to give them a call on Monday and mention that this has been happening for at least a year and this is an emergency situation. If the power goes out and we can’t receive reverse 911 calls, that’s not good. And then that century link (besides Jerred) are a bunch of robots who can’t help for sh1t.

I’ll encourage you to reach out as well - there’s an email below if a phone call is not your preference.

Colorado Public Utilities Commission

1560 Broadway, Suite 250, Denver, CO 80202

Consumer Assistance: 303-894-2070 or 800-456-0858 (Outside Denver)

Email: dora_puc_website@state.co.us

[JamieP]

I'm a broken record at this point, but I hate paying for a service that doesn't work when I need it the most. 

Here is a complaint form: http://www.dora.state.co.us/pls/real/CCT...laint_form

[John G]

20 years ago, I still had a landline. CenturyLink had recently completed the purchase of Qwest Communications (formerly U.S.West). On more than one occasion, I got a sales call, offering me DSL service. I said, "sign me up", only to hear back a few days later that it was "coming soon".

At the time, I worked with some network geek types, one of whom had previously worked for Qwest and had some good inside connections there. He inquired about the DSL timetable for me. The answer came back, it's in the planning stage, but it would require equipment upgrades at the switching office in Ward, and they did not have any money in the budget for that yet. Apparently 20 years is still not enough time to get that funded.

I think that answer from 20 years ago explains the delay of battery replacement, the slow response time for service calls, the (still) lack of DSL, etc. Rural customers don't create the profit margins for telecomm. In fact, despite the high cost of the landline, we are subsidized by suburbia.

About 30 years ago, U.S.West/Qwest replaced the cable that runs from the Bar-K and Overland areas back to the Ward switching office. This was done not only to resolve reliability issues with the aging trunk, but also to meet Federal requirement to phase out party lines(!) and allow for the expected expansion of subscribers in this area. I did not physically inspect the cable, but it had an orange jacket, which at the time was often associated with fiber optic rather than copper.

My landline bill included a USF charge. If you look into that, you find that it is a fee collected in the interest of providing reliable phone and broadband service to rural areas. That objective was further codified in the 2009 National Broadband Plan. In short, they are collecting the money to maintain and improve rural telecom services. It seems likely the money runs out after the executive bonuses are paid, but before the actual maintenance and improvements are made.

Here's an FCC article about it https://www.fcc.gov/general/universal-service.

CenturyLink is a monopoly in this area. They make use of the public right-of-way, and IMHO they should be held accountable to provide good service, including broadband, as outlined in the National Plan I mentioned. I'd guess they are being paid some tax dollars, but not delivering the results.

FYI my understanding is, the PUC regulates phone service, but has no authority over DSL or the lack thereof. So, if anyone wants to pursue the broadband service question, there's a link somewhere in or near that FCC article.

[JamieP]

As an update, I heard back from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and they're investigating what's going on with CL. Potential progress!

[Jackie Dow]

We canceled our land line, however , I'd like a refund . Any advice on that? I don't think we paid the last bill yet. The only reason we even had a land line was in case the power was out, and it hasn't seemed to work in the last couple years.

[JamieP]

I'm not sure about that, Jackie, sorry!