A report from TeleGeography says, "IP-based telephone services are a hit with consumers and have made the European fixed-line voice market, once an island of stability in a turbulent industry, into a fiercely competitive sector."

Closer to home: "Still have a landline? You're showing your age. The young, hip, cool people have cellphones only, and that is bad news for traditional phone providers."

Related: "New ways of reaching voters are critical as older techniques may no longer work. For example, 1/3 of voters don't have landlines, he says, with even higher percentages among key Democratic constituencies such as young people, Hispanics, and African-Americans."