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A new districtwide policy prohibits devices such as iPads in Kindergarten through second grade with few exceptions. Instead, teachers are emphasizing traditional, handson learning through activities like games, puzzles, and pen and paper assignments. These screen-free classrooms arrived after a grassroots effort from local parents in Croton-on-Hudson, an affluent, highly educated suburban village on the […] The post Landlines, Magazines, Puzzles: This NYC Suburb Is Bringing Back Screen-Free Childhoods appeared first on NYCTastemakers.

The cost of a traditional landline will double on Thursday, October 1. It comes as millions of traditional landlines have been switched off as the UK slowly moves to next-generation broadband-powered phone lines, sometimes called Digital Voice by some internet suppliers. According to figures from digital landline provider Phonely, there are still 1.5 million landlines left to transition to the new system. These phone lines, known as PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) in industry lingo, have served as the backbone of communication across the UK in some form or another for well over 100 years. However, those who rely on these ageing landlines are quickly becoming a minority. ### The deadline is currently set for January 31, 2027, **which was delayed from the original cut-off**. As the deadline approaches, wholesale charges for traditional landlines will reach double their previous level. BT-owned Openreach will increase the wholesale rental charges for its basic legacy Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) service, up from £10.65 a month to £21.30. That equates to an annual wholesale rental cost of £255.60. ### What does that mean for you? Crucially, this is the _wholesale_ rental charge. This is paid by your telecom provider to Openreach for using its nationwide infrastructure of cables and wires. Openreach is the most widely available network in the UK, reaching 99% of UK homes and businesses across the country. If you use one of the many, many brands that rely on Openreach's network — Sky, EE, TalkTalk, Vodafone, BT, Plusnet, to name just a few — then these Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will be paying a wholesale rental charge for your usage. That could include a traditional landline or full-fibre broadband connection. The increase in the wholesale rental charges does not mean household landline bills will automatically double. It's possible that your ISP will swallow the additional rental cost. Openreach charges telephone providers rather than consumers directly, and individual providers decide what they charge their customers. Your provider might not pass on the costs, but try to incentivise you to make the switch to a broadband-powered landline as soon as possible. In fact, that's exactly what Openreach is hoping. The wholesale supplier said the price changes are designed to encourage communications providers to move their remaining customers away from legacy products and onto newer digital services before the old network closes. ### Discussing this change — that kicks in from October 1 — Bryn Thompson, Director at Phonely, told GB News: "January is the deadline for the old network to close – it shouldn't be the date people start thinking about switching. "With around 1.5 million lines still to move and wholesale legacy charges doubling from October, we'd urge anyone still using an old landline to check what service they're on and explore their options now. "Leaving it until the final weeks could mean less choice and greater demand for installation appointments at exactly the point a huge number of remaining lines still need to be moved." While individual providers decide what their customers ultimately pay, households that remain on traditional services should check their current service and compare the alternatives available now, rather than waiting until January. BT said the switchover represented a “significant national upgrade”, as the UK moves from decades-old infrastructure to more reliable digital landlines. Broadband-powered landlines use Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, to connect your calls. If you’ve ever made a call over Wi-Fi or 5G to friends or family using WhatsApp, Skype, or Messenger, then you’re already familiar with VoIP technology. It enables several new features, like the ability to call multiple people at the same time, better call quality, the ability to block numbers, and incoming spam prevention. More than 91 million scam and spam attempts on BT customers were blocked last year alone, thanks to the improvements afforded by these newer landlines. ### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS * **Disney+ will hike prices in the UK next month** * **Dyson's first-ever toothbrush is a £420 gadget with a camera to floss as you brush** * **Airsmooth is Dyson's first-ever hot brush, and it costs £280 less than an Airwrap** * **Polestar 4: We drove the first car sold in Britain without a rear window** * **Vodafone announces new all-in-one TV box to rival Roku and Fire TV Stick** ### If you're not (yet) able to get fast full-fibre broadband at your home address, you won't be able to switch to a Digital Voice landline. Until BT-owned Openreach upgrades the infrastructure in your local area, you'll be able to continue using traditional copper-based landlines for now. Plans for a UK-wide landline switch-off were first confirmed back in late 2017 by the telecom industry itself — somewhat uniquely, this is not a Government scheme or deadline. Industry figures said they struggled to source the correct parts to maintain and repair analogue phone lines, as few companies still produce parts for this century-old telephone system. A number of other countries across mainland Europe are undergoing similar upgrades at the moment because of similar struggles. ### However, the process of switching households to Digital Voice has been plagued with a slew of issues, which saw BT customers lose access to the landline number they’d held for 50 years and others stranded without a landline connection for days. But the biggest headache has been for the 1.8 million elderly and vulnerable people living in the UK who rely on telecare safety alarms. Compatibility issues with internet-powered landlines have caused some critical calls to fail. These personal alarms, often worn on a lanyard around the neck or on a bracelet, are designed to be activated in a health emergency or after a fall. Working alongside the UK Government, BT and other telecom providers have **agreed to a series of new measures to protect vulnerable customers** and those with additional needs, including telecare users. ### Landline-only customers, those who use telecare or who have additional needs will _not_ need to make the switch before the revised 2027 deadline, BT has announced. Telecom providers are **developing new landline technology** that could solve some of the compatibility issues with Digital Voice. Over the last decade, Openreach has rapidly expanded its full-fibre network. It now covers 21 million premises, some 60% of UK homes. And the BT-owned brand isn't finished yet — it's still bringing an extra 1 million homes online every three months or so. Openreach wants to reach 25 million premises by the end of 2026, and 30 million by 2030. Unsure if your address has been connected yet? Openreach offers **an online postcode checker** to see if they can already order a Full Fibre service or alternatively, check by contacting their service provider. ### **Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**

Duluth News tribune reports… Rural Minnesota is often overlooked. Many people in our region, especially seniors and older adults, rely on their landline phone service. Many still do not have …