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NJ Town Does Away With Landlines Completely after Sandy


After the town of Mantoloking, New Jersey was devastated by Hurricane Sandy last year, its citizens decided at least one thing wasn’t worth rebuilding: its telephone lines. The plan seems extreme at first, but when is the last time you actually picked up a landline phone and made a call (incoming calls don’t count)? I’ll wait.

In case some residents aren’t hip to the brave new cellular world, Mantoloking provided a backup plan: Verizon Voice Link, which connects home phones to that provider’s wireless network. In addition to negating the cost of rebuilding, the all-wireless plan will also keep the town more resilient in the event of another storm, as phone service won’t be at the mercy of poles and cables.

(Photo: CG Hughes/Flickr)