Fusion without phone

[David]

Is there a way to get Fusion internet without the phone line?

I do not need any land line (mostly use cell phone) and just by having this part of the package, I would need to pay extra government taxes. In my cases, it would easily be $10+ extra per month for a service I do not need/want.

David

[wa2ibm]

No. Fusion is an all-in-one product. By offering it that way, Sonic is able to offer a lower price since they don't have to have the administrative overhead of splitting out the features.

When Fusion was first available, it was available without dial tone (voice service). But that led to issues as well when AT&T techs would run down a bank of lines and find a pair without dial tome, they'd presume it wasn't used and go ahead and use it for something else, leading to an outage for the Fusion customer.

Simplification is the word of the day.

[David]

That is unfortunate. Once you add the modem fee, taxes and all, we are now close to a $60 monthly fee?

David

[fakeout]

The forced phone line is a big concern of mine as well, but I like Sonic.net policies and DSL speed so I gave them a shot. After several months I have zero complaints about the service, no outages and speed is right at where I was told. I figured, maybe once I got a land line again, maybe I would use it once in awhile to justify the added cost... But so far, I haven't even plugged a phone in. Here's the breakdown on this last bill, basically I'm shelling out at least an extra $10 a month in taxes and fees for nothing:

Fusion Broadband - Single Line - 39.95 39.95
STI-0072026-4
Fusion Broadband Information - STI-0072026-4 0.00 0.00
Data $19.97 Voice $19.98
Voice Federal Subscriber Line Charge Fee 6.50 6.50
Voice Federal Universal Service Fund Fee 2.17 2.17
Voice California Lifeline Telephone Service 0.15 0.15
Surcharge
Voice California Deaf and Disabled Telecom 0.03 0.03
Program Surcharge
Voice California High Cost Fund-A Surcharge 0.05 0.05
Voice California High Cost Fund-B Surcharge 0.04 0.04
Voice California Teleconnect Fund Surcharge 0.08 0.08
Voice California Advanced Services Fund 0.02 0.02
Surcharge
Voice California 911 Emergency Surcharge 0.07 0.07
Fusion Phone Service - 4087034283 0.00 0.00
Voice California Public Utility Commission 0.02 0.02
User Fee
Voice FCC Interstate Telecom Service 0.05 0.05
Provider Fee
Property Tax Allotment Surcharge 0.26 0.26
Voice Regulatory Recovery Surcharge 0.52 0.52
Modem Equipment Rental Fee 6.50 6.50
Credit Prorate 2013-05-01 to 2013-04-01 for 2.25cr 2.25cr
Voice Federal Universal Service Fund Fee
Charge Prorate 2013-04-01 to 2013-05-01 for 2.17 2.17
Voice Federal Universal Service Fund Fee

[dane]

Have you not plugged in a phone because you don't own one? We are considering including a basic reliable telephone as part of the hardware kit, so that's the reason I'm asking.

[aw]

Only speaking for myself and not fakeout, but I have never plugged in a phone to my Fusion line because I see no need to have a landline and have two phones to pay attention to (landline and cellphone). I would gladly pay a service fee of $5 for not having a landline and not have to pay the close to $10 in taxes associated with that service.

[dane]

Only speaking for myself and not fakeout, but I have never plugged in a phone to my Fusion line because I see no need to have a landline and have two phones to pay attention to (landline and cellphone). I would gladly pay a service fee of $5 for not having a landline and not have to pay the close to $10 in taxes associated with that service.

Understood and noted. That isn't the direction we are planning on going with Fusion at this time.

[digitalbitstream]

Dane: you realize you're fighting the wind here. People in droves are dropping landlines, no mater the impact on call quality.

How about if Sonic offered VoIP to the gateway (VOIPTTG), then real land line out from there. Then a landline adverse customer can keep their familiar mobile in their pocket, yet at least make outgoing calls through sonic. As long as the WiFi is strong in a house, VOIP from the phone should not degrade things too much.

[Rob]

Two things I would suggest keeping in mind in regards to the landline, first off, you can dial 611 on a phone on that line and get tech support, secondly, in the case of power loss, emergency or disaster and cell service or internet/wifi isn't available, you'll still have a landline to use for contact with friends/family or emergency services, I for one am happy with the peace of mind knowing I've got that tool available to me.

[virtualmike]

... Then a landline adverse customer can keep their familiar mobile in their pocket, yet at least make outgoing calls through sonic.

That's pretty much what I do. And to make it easy, the inbound calls ring both my mobile and the landline (same for my spouse), via a Google Voice number. Except I don't keep my mobile in my pocket. Some of my around-the-house loungewear doesn't have pockets.

While at home, I prefer to have the calls come in the landline, because we have extensions throughout the house. This means I can answer a call from anywhere, instead of having to run to the room where I left the mobile. Plus, I really like the security of a fixed line that yields an absolute address to the PSAP when dialing 911, instead of an guessed address based on an approximate lat/long (and in some communities, only after the call has been answered by CHP and transferred to the local PSAP).