AT&T sues California in attempt to shut off old phone network

AT&T sued California after the state refused to allow the carrier to stop providing phone service to all potential customers in its wireline territory. AT&T asked the FCC to declare California cannot enforce its rules and to permit AT&T to stop providing service to about 199,000 phone customers. AT&T said California requires it to spend $1 billion each year to maintain a century-old telephone network that serves only a small share of households. AT&T cited declining copper use, consumer migration to broadband, and criminal theft-related outages. AT&T also said most other states removed Carrier of Last Resort obligations, leaving California as the remaining barrier. AT&T argued the copper network is vulnerable and consumes large amounts of electricity annually.

"California requires AT&T to spend $1 billion each year to maintain a century-old telephone network that almost no one uses. The copper wires that once served every home now serve just three percent of households in AT&T's California territory, with consumers fleeing every day to modern broadband services that are more affordable, reliable, and energy-efficient."

"The federal government and virtually all States where AT&T historically offered POTS [Plain Old Telephone Service] have now eliminated outdated regulatory obstacles, allowing AT&T to begin powering down its POTS network and increasing its investments in modern communication technologies. California stands alone in resisting this progress."

"AT&T complained that its "barely used copper network is an easy mark for criminals-California has already suffered about 2,000 outages from copper thefts this year-and drains the power grid of over 100 million kilowatt-hours each year.""

"In June 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) rejected AT&T's request to eliminate the Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligation that requires it to provide landline telephone service to any potential customer in its service territory. AT&T has said it's received relief from COLR obligations in 20 of the 21 states in its wireline service territory, all except California."

Read at Ars Technica