The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has cleared the way for AT&T to phase out landline service for more than 184,000 California households starting June 1, 2027.
“Across California, AT&T customers are receiving notices stating that their traditional landline service will be discontinued and encouraging them to switch to alternative technologies. While these letters may sound definitive, they can be misleading and do not fully reflect AT&T’s ongoing obligation to provide basic telephone service to its California customers upon request,” the Rural County Representatives of California said in a statement.
In a news conference, AT&T responded to the FCC’s decision stating that “only 3% of households we serve in California still use traditional phone service” and that they are “taking a phased, year-long approach to upgrade customers in these areas where better, more reliable services are available.”
“We’re committing to invest $19 billion in California through 2030 to connect more Californians to the best and largest network and upgrade customers to better products to meet our customers’ needs for fast, reliable connectivity as we transition from aging copper networks in the state,” AT&T further said.
AT&T has been fighting for nearly three years to drop their Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) status, which forces AT&T to provide basic telephone services to anyone regardless of “where they live or what their income is.”
The telecommunications giants had initially filed a formal application to abandon its obligation to provide landline services to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) back in 2023.
However, CPUC rejected AT&T’s request which led to the company sponsoring a now-dead bill (California Assembly Bill 470), which would have relieved the company from its COLR obligation.
After being blocked by California’s government, AT&T ultimately decided to file a federal lawsuit against the Golden State and submitted applications to the FCC in May.
While the FCC handed the company a victory, AT&T still faces additional applications pending as well as a lawsuit filed by CPUC in opposition a month later.
