As more evidence of the transformation of the telephone industry, the Florida Public Service Commission released a report Friday that said the number of residential wirelines in the state has dropped by about 6 million during the past decade.
Meanwhile, the report said Florida had about 19 million wireless-phone subscribers as of the end of 2013 --- nearly one wireless device for every resident of the state. The Public Service Commission sends a report to the Legislature by Aug. 1 each year about the status of competition in the telecommunications industry.
This year's report continues to show the massive shift of people disconnecting traditional wireline phones in their homes and businesses and moving to newer technology. It cited national data that said 45.4 percent of Americans lived in wireless-only homes in 2014, while 42.7 percent lived in homes with wireless and wireline service.
"Between 2010 and 2013, Florida's adoption rate of wireless handsets tracked the national trend,'' the report said. "There is no reason to believe the substitution rate will be changing appreciably."
The report also said Florida businesses showed a 17 percent decrease in wireline service last year.
