How to Get the Internet Without Phone Lines?

Thu, Feb 25, 2021 5:06 PM

Households have historically bought the internet from a diversified telecommunications provider bundled with a cable TV subscription. These TV plans have become increasingly high-tech, offering consumers not only a dizzying variety of channels, but also a box that allows them to pause, rewind, capture live TV, and access pay-per-view movies. But we needed more once we got hooked on on-demand content. A variety of streaming platforms came to the rescue, first with a movie menu, but ultimately with entire TV series and finally original content, which soon clashed with the networks and HBO and outpaced fare.

The way we view television has changed irrevocably now. In a desperate hunt for something to watch, we're no longer able to flip through channels before deciding on a sitcom rerun or an old game show, broken up by advertisements. Instead, in one weekend, we queue up our favorite shows on streaming services and binge whole seasons of shows. In order to view content, we also rely more on our laptops, tablets, and cellphones than our television sets, although we can access streaming platforms directly from our TV.

And our monthly subscription costs are going up as more streaming services launch can't-miss content. By ditching their cable plan, many are looking to cut costs. It's called cord-cutting and it could save you cash and make sure you just pay for the stuff you want to watch.

Reasons to Cut the Cord

Let's take a closer look at why you may want to cut the cord:

• No contracts: Netflix and the like are offered on a month-to-month rolling subscription, while internet and TV packages typically lock you into a one or two-year deal. Theoretically, you should cancel when you have drained one platform with all its content. But good luck pulling the trigger, they roll out more contents regularly to keep you watching.

• Watch the content you want when you want it: subscribe to a streaming platform that delivers your favorite shows instantly, whenever you want, without having to consult a TV schedule or wait until Friday night, instead of paying for tens or even hundreds of channels you have no interest in.

• TV has moved online: From Netflix's Stranger Things to Hulu's Handmaid's Tale, streaming services leave ABC, CBS, NBC, and even premium cable networks far behind, creating a deluge of Can't-miss shows. Trying to keep up and still get enough sleep is the only thing.

• Don't miss out on live TV: platforms like Roku and Sling will provide access to certain live TV channels by cord-cutters, so you don't have to miss your favorite morning talk show or your political persuasion on the cable news network.

• Save money: A whopping $107 is the average monthly cost of a cable TV package. And you're probably already paying for at least one streaming service on top of that. By scrapping the pricey cable plan you rarely use, you reduce your monthly outgoings. The high cost of cable is the most common reason people give for cutting the cord.

Why ditch the landline phone?

When was the last time you got a call that wasn't from your dentist or your aunt on your landline? A landline telephone is superfluous for the majority of Americans with cellphones glued to their hands. It's an extra monthly fee, a target for telemarketers, and a perfect way to miss large calls. That's why more than half of us have unplugged it from the wall already and given our mobile phone numbers to our aunts.

How to Get Internet Without a Phone Line

Older dial-up and DSL Internet applications are distributed over the copper wires of the landline phone network. The first internet plans were then sold alongside landline calls. Many of us have managed to mistakenly subscribe as a line item on our internet bills to a landline telephone service, even as the amount of calls we make on that service has reduced.

The landline phone network is completely bypassed by cable, fiber, and satellite internet technologies and is mostly sold without calling. But without landline calls, you can also buy a DSL package. This is called DSL standalone.

You can also use the wireless network for internet access if your mobile phone coverage is sufficient at home, even though you are aware that speeds are restricted and data limits are strict. But without a phone line, you don't have to jump to wireless to get to the internet.

How to Get the Internet Without Phone Lines?

While TV and Internet bundles are common, they are not needed. Without a TV bundle tacked on, several internet providers can give you an internet plan. This involves providers of DSL, cable, fiber, and satellite.

Using our search engine to find a standalone internet plan. Just enter your ZIP code and we will return a customized list of your area's cheap internet plans and providers. A lot of these would only include the internet, with no TV attached.

Just make sure you have a connection that is fast enough to handle all the streaming that you are going to do. A connection with a minimum download speed of 100Mbps will be needed for cord-cutters, which means you should be looking at cable or fiber plans.

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