I know quite a few folks that don't have a home phone by choice (even though they can pay the bill

) b/c these days, with the proliferation of cell phones and how cheap they've become, there's no need for a home phone.
However, many CC companies as well as internet retailers require a home phone number for billing purposes.
My home phone, with only call waiting/caller ID options costs me approximately $40/mo (that's with taxes). I keep it b/c it's convenient, and I don't want to limit myself to "cell phone only."
Was your name on that Verizon account? If so, you're prolly stuck w/a bad mark on your credit.