Floridians continue to pull plug on landlines

BY THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Florida residents and businesses are continuing to get rid of traditional telephone lines as they rely on wireless phones and internet technology, according to a state report released Friday. The report, produced annually by the Florida Public Service Commission, said Florida had about 3.3 million traditional wirelines in December 2015, down from about 3.8 million a year earlier. The numbers are part of a steady trend. For example, residents and businesses had about 6.1 million traditional lines in 2011. The report, which goes to the Legislature, said CenturyLink also has become the largest residential wireline company in the state, surpassing AT&T. "This may be a result of CenturyLink's ability to mitigate its decline in residential access lines or because it serves rural areas with less competition," the report said. "Over the past four years, CenturyLink has experienced an average 6 percent decline per year in residential access lines, while AT&T and Verizon have both averaged a 22 percent decline per year for the same period." The report said there were an estimated 19.9 million wireless phones in Florida as of December 2014, citing Federal Communications Commission figures.