Since day one, the phone has never worked, hasn't been a big deal because of cell phones, but would like to get it working
Okay, obvious question that a support tech would ask: Have you tried plugging your phone directly into the Demarc? What was the result?
Longer version: Where the phone line enters the premises, there's a small box called the Demarcation Point. It's the place where the phone company's wires end and your "inside wiring" begins. Inside there's an RJ-11 style jack. Normally this jack is occupied by the wire that connects your inside wiring to the phone system. (picture)
Unplug this wire (disconnecting all the phones and modems in your house), then plug a normal phone into that jack; that phone is now connected directly to the phone company's wiring. (If you have DSL service through this line, you should connect a known-working DSL line filter (picture) to the phone, then connect the filter to the RJ-11 jack. Otherwise you might hear a horrible hissing noise.) Then pick up the receiver on the phone and see what happens. If you still don't have dialtone or voice service, then the problem is definitely not your inside wiring or equipment.