[SwellJoe]

For a local land line, "another provider" might not exist. In many cases, T has a monopoly on the last mile. This is why local phone service has historically been so strictly regulated. I'm surprised this is at all legal, given that history...but I suppose rules change, and T has a lot of politicians in their pocket.

The good news is that it will probably hurt T more than help in the long run. A lot of people who have held on to land lines may begin to think about whether the cost is worth it when the price goes up by 10%, or so. There are an awful lot of superior alternatives to land lines these days, except in the most rural of areas. Even my parents now use their cell phones more than their land line...they might even turn off the land line with this change, since they use their cell phones for long distance calls.