There were some issues after Hurricane Sandy, but things improved pretty quickly. They piggyback on Sprint's network. Their customer service is a pleasure to deal with, too. I'm not sure if I understand your question about needing a phone. Not your fault, I'm just a bit of a luddite.

Whereas I remember having problems ( dropped calls, etc.) w. other carriers.

That was years ago. The whole industry is different now. To put it mildly.

I meant I'm not particularly concerned about hi-tech smart phone -type features ......although i may break down and get a smart phone. (Both Credo and Verizon practically *give* you one if you sign up for two years.)

But I need to have good, reliable *phone* service.

(And I'm not knocking the Luddites. They were working class people that were being gradually dispossessed by the 1 % of their era. Sound familiar?)

receive calls without a phone. I've been experiencing lots of technological karmic blowback for all the laughs I had at my grandmother's expense when she tried to figure out leaving messages on answering machines.

My elderly mom trying to have conversations w. peoples' answering machines.

What a spectacle our generation must be w. our flip-phones, etc.

Now they deal in a 4-G network

Snooping on customers ('walled garden' for people who use torrents)..