AT&T applies to end obligation to service landlines in California
AT&T’s bid to end its obligation to maintain traditional copper landlines in California is raising concerns about reliability, rural access, and the fate of vulnerable users who depend on wired phones, especially during power outages and disasters. Commenters contrast the resilience and regulatory guarantees of POTS with the technical and economic advantages of fiber, VoIP, and wireless, while arguing over whether telcos are shirking long‑standing public-service commitments after decades of subsidies. Broader themes include regulatory capture, the patchy rollout of high-speed broadband in the U.S., and whether phone service should remain treated as a universal utility in an all‑IP future.
Landline Obligations & AT&T’s Move
- AT&T is a Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) in parts of California and is seeking “targeted relief” from that obligation.
- COLR rules require “telephone service,” not copper specifically; AT&T could already fulfill this with fiber or VoIP, but critics say it’s trying to shed responsibility entirely after decades of public subsidy.
- Some argue regulators should stop propping up outdated copper; others say obligations freely accepted (and subsidized) should be enforced until real alternatives exist.
Rural Access, Reliability & Emergencies
- Multiple commenters in semi‑rural or rural areas report: no cell coverage, no broadband, trees blocking satellite, and aging copper as their only link.
- Landlines are praised for disaster performance: central-office power, multi‑day uptime in blackouts, and historically better behavior under load.
- Others note POTS did congest in major emergencies and that mobile networks have improved (e.g., New Year’s Eve tests), but power loss still kills cell sites quickly.
- Concerns raised about low‑income and elderly users who can’t operate smartphones and may be left without any practical phone service.
Technology Shift: Copper, Fiber, VoIP, Wireless
- Copper is described as expensive to maintain (moisture, age, squirrels) and bandwidth-limited; many telcos are abandoning it for fiber or simply letting it rot.
- Some claim VoIP/POTS emulation would be “phenomenally expensive”; others counter with cheap analog telephone adapters, cable VoIP, and national migrations (UK, Germany) as evidence it’s workable.
- Users report forced migrations from copper to fiber-based voice, often with bulky CPE and dependence on household power/UPS or generators.
Regulation, Economics & Monopolies
- Debate over whether poor US broadband is due to low population density vs. deregulation, regulatory capture, and protection of regional monopolies.
- Universal service funds and subsidies allegedly prop up marginal rural copper businesses while not delivering promised fiber.
- Some advocate municipal or cooperative ownership of fiber/electric grids with open access for competing ISPs, citing city utilities and EU-style network/provider separation.
Individual Use Cases & Workarounds
- Landlines still valued for spam-sink numbers, perceived call quality, and as always‑on appliances for seniors.
- Others argue modern VoLTE/VoIP offer better audio and that mobile spam filtering is now good enough.
- Edge cases discussed: home-confinement anklets (largely moved beyond analog lines), teaching toddlers to call 911 on locked phones, and ham radio as last‑ditch rural backup.