Uverse vs POTS- Conflicting prices for unpublished number

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@grrlgeek wrote:

I am considering switching to AT&T for my internet service.  I currently have a POTS landline with measured rate service.  I dont want a landline, but I have it because I have ADSL through an ISP that I've been with since the 90's, through 3 houses, and 2 different phone carriers and I'm told every time I move that I have to have at least a minimum phone service to be able to get the DSL.  The DSL is great, and I have nothing bad to say about it except it's only 1.5 down, and a price hike last year now has me paying a total of $95 a month for the DSL and landline.  Money is tight, and I am looking to tighten my budget and perhaps speed up my surfing.

 

Right now, I pay $1.25 to have an unpublished number (not in the white pages, not in 411).   If I create an order starting at "High-speed internet without uVerse," and add home phone, the cost is the same, $1.25.  Unfortunately, proceding through to order the non-Uverse DSL fails, with the message that I can't have high speed internet (ADSL) and I can only have Uverse.  Under the Uverse order system, an unpublished number is charged at $4.95.  

 

I don't get it. Can someone explain why it costs almost $4 more to not publish a Uverse number?

 

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I worked at AT&T for 5 years and never new it to be $1.25 for a non-published landline. Perhaps you had a an older, grandfathered rate plan for your non-published landline that you would lose if you moved to U-verse.

I have had a non published, and also outbound caller ID blocked number (says private) since 1980 and have never paid additional for either.  I would call that grandfathered!!! 

I read more posts here last night and aviewer has confirmed what I was starting to realize - that I can finally cut the landline cord entirely if I switch.  I am still considering keeping one though; despite not even having a phone plugged in for the past 5 years, just in case of emergency and to take advantage of bundled installation promotions.  The costs really do seem to add up with Uverse... so it's back to crunching numbers for a little while... just trying to explore all the options I guess.

Thanks very much to all who replied.

aviewer,

No, not really.   My cell has 1500 shared anytime minutes a month, plus unlimited cell-to-cell.  Between two of us, we barely use 300 of the allotted premium minutes.  For daily life, I have all my phone needs covered. 

My main concern about having a landline (and I guess I kinda want one, but I just have so little use for it that the monthly cost is hard to justify) is for emergencies like natural disasters.  I have elderly parents who still live in their home but are entirely dependent on myself, my brother, and the caregiver who lives with them.  I live in southern CA, and vividly remember the Northridge earthquake (I lived a mile from the epicenter).  Getting a call out was nearly impossible then, but these days with so many people shunning landlines I figure the cell will be just as useless as the landline was then, and at least while my folks are still kicking, I have to plan for everything. 

Not that magic jack isn't a cool service, so thank you for the hot tip!  I bookmarked their website for future perusal.