Colleges, businesses unplugging land lines

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- More U.S. colleges say they're ditching telephone land lines in favor of cell phones or voice over Internet calls.

About 75 employees of Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Ga., plan in January to unplug their office phones and go wireless for good, USA Today reported Tuesday.

The move will save money and let teachers interact more with students through text messaging, said Jennifer Wunder, an English professor at Gwinnett.

"It's an incredible educational opportunity," Wunder said, noting her interaction with students has increased because she's reaching students on the same device they use.

Colleges that have removed land lines from dormitories include St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Ind.; Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis.; Roanoke College in Salem, Va.; and Elon University in North Carolina.

Businesses are following suit with an estimated 25 percent of the nation's offices planning to unplug their land lines for either cell phones or VoIP, voice over Internet protocol, USA Today reported.