Amid plans to shut off landlines, rural Ohioans worry of isolation

Phone providers say landlines are becoming too costly to maintain for Ohio residents.(Dan Dennis / Unsplash )Decades ago, before cell phones buzzed and beeped in everyone's pockets, people relied on a network of copper wires to stay connected to loved ones. A landline phone’s chime was a familiar part of everyday life.In some Appalachian Ohio homes, like Paul Feezel’s, those landlines are still ringing.Feezel said the outdated tech is his only option. He lives in a valley, about a mile from the road on the outskirts of rural Carrollton. The beautiful hills he loves are also the obstacle to good cell service or satellite connection.“Unfortunately, none of those are able to provide either consistent phone service and definitely not consistent or even available internet service,” he said, speaking over his landline.In August, Feezel got a letter from Frontier – a phone provider owned by Verizon – saying his landline would be shut off in the near future. Similar letters have gone out to V