AT&T Outage Highlights Reliance on Cellphones as Landlines Fade

In the wake of a significant AT&T network outage, San Francisco's emergency response underscores the dwindling presence of landlines in American households.

• Tens of thousands lost cellphone service due to an AT&T network outage, prompting San Francisco's Fire Department to advise using landlines for 911 calls.
• Recent statistics show about 73% of American adults live in households without landlines, a stark contrast to the early 2000s.
• AT&T has proposed phasing out its obligation to provide landline service in California, sparking public forums for customer input.
• The rapid adoption of smartphones since 2007 has significantly shifted communication preferences away from landlines.
• Despite their decreasing prevalence, some individuals maintain landlines for emergencies, highlighting a generational divide in technology use.

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