U.S. Cellular Jumps on Landline Replacement Bandwagon

Just $20 a month!  Not too attractive to me, though. I had a problem with my landline recently. When Verizon came, instead of repairing the old copper connection, they connected me to fiber, including installation of a battery backup. This is the part of fiber phones that I don't like. The copper phones carried a current that enabled them to work during power failures, which where I live a fairly common. During the past year I lost power a few times for more than a day, and lost phone service, too. Cell service where I live is spotty at the best of times. I've learned by trial and error which parts of the house and yards get signals, and which don't. So, with the fiber landline down and no way to charge a cell phone, I had no phone service. Is this progress?