FCC: Landline Voice Lines Decline 4.7% in Six Months, VoIP Growth Slows

Data released late last week from the Federal Communications Commission documents the ongoing decline of traditional landline voice service. As of mid-2012, there were 102 million end-user switched access lines in service – down 4.7% from 107 million end-users six months earlier and maintaining the average yearly decline of about 9% seen for the previous three-year period. The new report, titled Local Telephone Competition: Status as of June 30, 2012; is based on subscribership data that carriers are required to file. The total number of retail local telephone service connections has increased slightly since 2009. But the type of local phone service that people use has changed substantially – with VoIP services and mobile telephone services making gains at the expense of traditional landline voice service.