Floridians continue cutting landlines
TALLAHASSEE - Landlines continue to be cut in Florida, while the overall demand for telecommunication services rapidly expands.
This week the Florida Public Service Commission released a report that said about 900,000 landlines were in use in Florida in 2022, about 19.5 percent fewer than in 2021. That's a huge drop from a peak of about 12 million two decades ago when Florida had a population of about 16 million people.
Meanwhile, with the state's population now approaching 23 million, the most recent data showed about 23 million wireless subscriptions in Florida, according to the commission's report, which is updated each year.
"A major development that has attracted many customers to these technologies is the speed and volume of information that can be transmitted," the report said.
The report showed that for the 12th consecutive year a majority of landlines were used by businesses. But those also declined by 21.3 percent from 2021 to 2022. Residential landlines were down 16.5 percent, to 358,000.