Your Service, Your Choice

          Have you ever had to make a choice on which phone company to go with?  Have you ever wondered how you even have that choice?  You may have heard of it.  It’s called deregulation.  Deregulation broke up big monopolies where one company gave customers one choice on one kind of service for their utilities, even the telecommunications.  The telecommunications act of 1996 opened up doors where customers had the choice of providers, advanced services, and competitive prices.  Deregulation was great for the marketplace and consumers alike and as you read on you will explore why.

          First of all deregulation gave customers the choice of providers.  This is great because a customer does not have to settle with one type of service.  If a customer is not satisfied with a provider in any way they have the right to shop around.  For this reason it forces companies to stay competitive and strive for higher quality assurance.  This is greatly beneficial to the customer and insures they have greater experiences with their chosen provider.

          Another great outcome of deregulation is the advanced services and technology that has become available.  Before when big companies controlled everything in their market it left little or no room for anyone or anything else.  For example, before the bell companies were forced to divest they controlled everything down to the actual phone in the house.  They would rent this out to the customers and not allow them to alter or change it in any way.  This hindered the creation of the answering machine and fax machine as well as the evolution of the technology that we have today.  Deregulation has helped clear the way for the advanced services we have today.

          Last and probably most importantly deregulation has forced companies to price competitively.  With most utilities the product is the same and a company must distinguish itself by its service and pricing.  It is simple to see that a company with better service at lower rates will gain more customers.  This competitive pricing leaves you with better service for less.

          Deregulated utilities are great and beneficial to all of us.  Remember the next time you are looking around for a utility company it was deregulation that made the choice of providers, advanced services, and competitive prices available for you.  For more information on saving money on your long distance bill contact National Access Long Distance. 

The Address of Your Emergency

No one is ever in a great position to deal with the dreaded and horrid inconveniences of an emergency. These sudden unforeseen crises (usually involving danger) require immediate action. During a time of emergency you would not want to trust to an unreliable source of help.  Cell phone or VOIP services are unreliable and not the phone you want to be using when there is any sort of emergency.

When an emergency occurs, you are full of panic, possibly unable to answer the questions the dispatcher is asking.  The question regarding your location comes up, do you know where you are?  What house are you at?  If it’s your own, you can probably provide it with little thought.  However, what if you are at your sibling’s or your child is the one on the phone because you are hurt.  A landline provides the address to the dispatcher, no need for the questions, they send help.

If you call 911 with a cell phone they find your location by using the cell towers and GPS services.  This can be inaccurate and timely, during a time when every second counts. If you live in an apartment complex, this impairs the accuracy even more with location of an area and not which floor.  While the emergency button on your cell phone is great, it only speeds up the process so much.

The emergency 911 services were created to save our lives and get us help; this process was made around the landline.  Cell phones came along much later and they are still refining this process.  Don’t let your emergency be part of the learning process; keep your loved ones safe with a landline.

Now when you are out on the road, the only option you have is the cell phone and in that situation it is a great to have that technology to assist you. But from the house or the office, why entrust your life or welfare to the parameters of technology for the sake of a so-called convenience?

Landlines are also easier to operate in the event of an emergency, especially for kids and senior citizens. Sure cost can be the biggest issue, but really can you put a price on your well-being? Besides, there are ways to help decrease current landline costs. To save money on the long distance portion of your landline phone, contact National Access Long Distance.