In general, you don't have to have a subscription to a landline service to have 911 access on POTS. Federal law requires the phone companies to provide access t

In general, you don't have to have a subscription to a landline service to have 911 access on POTS. Federal law requires the phone companies to provide access to 911 dialed from a landline phone whether there is current service or not, and they have to ensure the line from the pole to the house/apartment is live to facilitate this (it is still the homeowner's responsibility to deal with the in-house wiring, of course). That said, if you live in one of the increasing number of states trying to circumvent these federal requirements, you may indeed have to keep paying just to have emergency access, or you may end up being forced out of landline access altogether: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/landline-rules-frustrate-telecoms/2012/04/12/gIQAG2XvDT_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/landline-rul...