University Dorms Leave Landlines Behind
Following a trend that has been building for several years, some university dorms are ditching landline phones as cellphones become more popular.
The University of Virginia removed about 3,850 telephones from residence halls over the summer, the school said this week. The school’s housing department will save $500,000 a year by not providing telephone service, officials said, adding that AT&T (T), T-Mobile and Verizon (VZ) had funded improvements in coverage on campus.
“Students may still request a land-line telephone, but I don’t anticipate that a lot will,” said chief housing officer Mark Doherty in a statement. “Over the past several years, land-line use has decreased a lot.”
