![NPR Topics: Story of the Day Podcast show](https://d3dthqtvwic6y7.cloudfront.net/podcast-covers/000/011/349/small/npr-story-of-the-day.jpg)
Summary: The U.S. landline network was once the best in the world. But these days, phone companies see them as a burden, an old technology too expensive to maintain. AT&T wants to start replacing the system with cheaper options. Some call it a hasty abandonment of the tried-and-true traditional network.