Unfortunately, that link didn't take me to something that looked like the story you mentioned... at least, not unless I missed something else.
But checking briefly, I believe he misquoted them. What they specifically said is that they will no longer "invest in acquiring new residential customers" -- not that they won't take them, but that they won't be marketing to them.
That's a far cry from getting rid of them or not taking on any new ones. It just means they won't be advertising or running promotions and such to get new residential customers (except as noted below).
They are focusing on business telephony and VOIP (voice over IP, or internet) telephony, areas where they can leverage their skills and strengths. They are primarily focused on businesses, but as residential opportunities come up, they will take them.
So will they give up on the residence? I don't think so. They'll try to switch over to VOIP and bundling with internet services to get you more closely hooked with other products and services.
I do believe it speaks to the importance of reviewing your phone service periodically to make sure it matches your requirements. And to do the same thing with other services -- I cut my homeowner's insurance over $300 by doing that, and I did it with the same company. Amazing what talk about switching will do for you...
