Wednesday, May 22, 2013

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More people get rid of landlines
Posted: 01.26.2010 at 5:37 PM
5

Family turns off landline for wireless.

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MARQUETTE -- It's 7:45 a.m. on a school day, and in the Nemacheck house, that means eating breakfast and grabbing backpacks before heading to the car.

Ten-year-old Kyle and his 9-year-old stepsister, Emma, check over their cell phones while eating breakfast in the kitchen.  They, like their parents, each have a cell phone.  But unlike their parents, Jeff and Julie, Emma and Kyle's phones stay in the kitchen when they're not in use.

Family rules also prohibit them from taking them to school, but they can and do use them to call or text friends.

"Some, yeah," said Emma. "It's usually my cousins."

A few of their peers also have cell phones.

"Maybe four or three in my class," said Kyle.

Five-year-old Colin wants his own phone, but for now he'll have to use another family member's since they don't have a landline.

The Nemachecks are part of a growing number of families getting rid of their landlines and using only cell phones.  They turned off their landline when they realized they were getting more calls from telemarketers than family and friends.

"It was a money savings thing," said Jeff.  "We had at that point, two cells here and just switched one of them to our home number.  We saved $30 a month, or whatever."

Jay Brogan, President and CEO of Hiawatha Communications says while there is a slight decline in landline phone use, they've seen a large increase in their Internet/broadband customer base.

"When I talk to my colleagues downstate and here in the Upper Peninsula, they're seeing companies doing that same shift towards becoming more a broadband company," said Brogan.

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