As others have mentioned, many carriers will not activate such a phone as a matter a policy (not technically). Verizon in my area will not.
The newspaper reported consumers are upset by this because there are many rural areas where bag phones are still needed for their power due to great distances from the nearest tower. Perhaps the cell phone company people think the whole country looks like New Jersey. It does not.
Such a phone might work as a 911 emergency phone or on an expensive pay-as-you-go basis. I bought an analog cell phone at a yard sale, powered it up, and tried to make a call on it. The system asked me for a credit card number to make the call. I believe they would put a call through but at a considerable charge, more so than commercial pay-as-you-go cell phones. I keep in my car glove box just in case. (I don't always carry my cell phone with me on local trips.)
I would suggest powering up this phone and try making a call on it and see what happens. The phone should be able to reach 911 and you could test that by telling the 911 operator immediately that you're testing a phone. If asked for a credit card see if you can find out what it will cost to complete a call. In the middle of nowhere in an emergency a $10 call charge isn't so onerous.