The era of the copper landline phone in California may be coming to an end. AT&T has applied to no longer hold the designation of Carrier of Last Resort in the state, but what does that mean? And why are many rural residents worried?
Miles outside of the City of Paso Robles, hummingbirds gather each day around feeders in Robert Lawrence's front courtyard. The peace and quiet offer a serene hum, but with this little slice of heaven, Lawrence says there’s an issue.
“We’re dependent on landline for all of our telecommunications,” Lawrence said.
His home, along with many others in the surrounding rural area, have little access to internet and hardly any cell service.
“We could put it up there, but the opportunities are really tough because you gotta get power up there. It’s like $10,000 to put a cell tower up there with a solar system,” Lawrence said.
That, he says, is too cost-prohibitive.
“Once upon a time, they installed a copper wire all the way to our house, and they didn't do it because it was profitable, they did it because they were required to,” Lawrence said.
But there could be a problem on the other end of the line.
AT&T is proposing to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that they no longer be Carrier of Last Resort, or COLR.
COLR’s ensure California residents have access to basic phone services. If approved, no phone company would be required to serve the population under consideration.
“And now to be able to shut that off, presumably on the assumption that people have cell phone service and don't need it, is a challenge for us,” Lawrence said.
The highlighted blue on this map shows the area in which AT&T proposed to no longer be the COLR across the state:
In San Luis Obispo County, it’s nearly the entire area:
This could be a major issue, says Tracy Rhine with Rural County Representatives of California.
“Catastrophic wildfires, mudslides, flooding — these are areas that will see these natural disasters more often. These are areas that really need more reliable communication services for evacuation notices, where to go, what to do,” Rhine said.
Scott Jalbert with San Luis Obispo County Emergency Services says the upgrading of technology, moving away from copper, will ultimately be beneficial with more services offered like internet and VoIP (voice over internet protocol), but access to a backup means of communication is essential.
“For us, it's important that residents have a backup communications system,” Jalbert said. “We're all very reliant on cell phones, and when cell phones go down, it's nice to have that secondary means of communication.”
An AT&T representative tells KSBY they are working to upgrade traditional copper-based phone service to newer technologies like fiber and wireless, but they could not confirm who would pay for the upgrades.
The statement reads in part, “We are not cancelling landline service in California, and none of our California customers will lose access to voice service if the CPUC approves our application. We’re working to transition the few remaining consumers who still use traditional copper-based phone service to upgrade to newer technologies from us or other providers.”
An AT&T representative tells KSBY that less than 7% of their customers in California still use copper-based landlines.
For those hanging on to landlines, their last time hanging up could be in the foreseeable future.
If you want your voice heard, the CPUC is hosting six more public participation hearings, four of which are in-person only. Two are in Ukiah, a city in Mendocino County of just 16,000 people about two hours north of San Francisco, on February 22 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
There are only two virtual meetings: March 19 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Click here for information.
You can also submit public comment by clicking here.
