Blog/Landline service shutdown by FCC Order 19-72: What You Need to Know
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Landline service shutdown by FCC Order 19-72: What You Need to Know

Landline service shutdown by FCC Order 19-72: What You Need to Know

Landlines are not a thing of the past.

There are over 100 million landlines in the US. If you’re reading this, you probably have one of them.

But the biggest providers – AT&T, Verizon, CenturyLink, Frontier – have made it clear; they are replacing their copper wire infrastructure with internet based fiber optic cables, and leaving old fashioned landlines in the dust.

In light of the recent FCC Landline Shutdown Order 19-72, landline providers are shutting down their service across the country, and forcing customers to switch to internet-based phone service.

Click on the button below to check if your landline will be affected by the FCC Shutdown Order 19-72. It only takes a few seconds to get your results.

Why are Telecom Companies Ending Copper Wire Service and Switching to Fiber Optic Cable?

FIber optic cables are internet-based, and allow telecom giants to provide more profitable services (namely internet and TV) on the same lines that they provide home phone service.

It’s a great deal for telecom companies - fiber optics are more resilient to weather and curious squirrels, which make them cheaper to maintain than POTS copper wire lines.

And by bundling all their services onto one cable, they can get more customers on to the high-speed internet services that they expect will make up the bulk of their profits moving forward.

As the cost of maintaining copper wire infrastructure increases, telecom companies have lobbied the FCC to eliminate regulations that require them to provide landline service across the country.

And in August of 2022, according to FCC Order 19-72 (which you can read in its entirety, here), those regulations will end.

At that time, major providers will no longer be required to provide landline service. And as they focus on their bottom line, it’s only a matter of time before they end the service completely.

Community Phone offers a better landline service to traditional copper wire service that doesn’t require internet. Check your address for coverage today! Make the switch today and save your landline service.

Why Does FCC Order 19-72 Mean the End of Copper Wire Landline Service?

Many people do not get their landline service from one of the large providers.

Instead, large telecom providers that are members of the US Telecom Association sell the use of their copper wire service to smaller, local providers, and those providers sell service to consumers like you.

The reason they do this was because they’re required to by the FCC; folks particularly in rural areas had to be able to get landline phone service unbundled from other services, at a rate that was regulated by the Government.

However, according to US telecom companies, these regulations were “overbearing”, and prevented them from being able to invest in “the future” - fiber optic technology.

So, after years of lobbying by US Telecom, the FCC announced that on August 2, 2022, US Telecom companies would no longer be required to provide landline service to these smaller, local companies.

But this regulation was the only reason large telecom providers were still offering copper wire landline service at all. With the regulation lifted, the companies that provide your copper wire phone service will start retiring their copper wire service permanently.

Sign up to Community Phone today and save your landline service.

What Does the Switch Mean for Traditional Landline Service?

The switch to Fiber Optic comes at the expense of their traditional copper cable service.

In many cases, large providers are laying fiber optic in the same places that they already have copper cables. When they do this, they often require customers on traditional home phone service to move on to their internet-based home phone service.

They frame it as an “upgrade”. From AT&T:

“We’re upgrading our network by retiring that copper wire and replacing it with new fiber optic technology capable of bringing you additional services and more reliable performance.”

But fiber optic cables are inferior to copper wire cables in one important way: they do not work when the power goes out.

This is one of the main benefits of copper wire service, and one the FCC addresses directly in the Order:

We are not “persuaded by arguments that we should not grant forbearance because of end users' desire to take advantage of the distinctive line power feature of TDM voice service. These concerns are of substantially diminished significance because the lack of line power for VoIP services can and must be “remedied by use of a back-up power unit, a matter the Commission has previously addressed.”

What this says is that the FCC puts the requirement on consumers like you to have a backup power source in case your internet-based phone service goes down in a power outage.

The bottom line is this:

  1. The only reason telecom providers still offer copper wire landline phone service is because they’re required to do so by the FCC
  2. That requirement is ending in August of this year
  3. As soon as telecom providers have alternative internet-based fiber optic cable laid in an area, they will almost certainly shut down their copper wire landline service as soon as possible.

If you want to keep your home phone, but don’t want to tie it to your internet, Community Phone has a solution.

What are my options if my copper cable service is replaced with VoIP?

Community Phone is your most reliable home phone service alternative to traditional copper wire or internet-based landline phone service.

Community Phone works by connecting your landline phone to cell towers in your area via our Landline Base.

Give us a call at (781) 341-7067 to learn more about how the service works.

Otherwise, read on and check out the video below:

The Landline Base works anywhere with cell reception. We work with the 2 largest wireless service providers in the country, and the Landline Base gets better reception than cell phones, thanks to antennas on the base.

Click here to check if you have coverage at your address.

The base ships in 3 - 4 business days. Once you receive it, plug the base into a power outlet in the wall, and plug your landline phone into a phone jack on the base. That’s it; it will work right out of the box, and setup takes no more than a few minutes.

The base works with just about any landline phone, so you can use your own phone, or purchase one from us.

It also comes with a backup battery that keeps it working for up to 10 hours without power.

You can also keep your existing number, or get a new local number based on your area code or preference.

Plans start at $39/month with no hidden fees, and a 14-day risk-free guarantee.

If you’re interested in trying Community Phone, or have more questions about the FCC Order and the copper wire shutdown, give us a call at (781) 341-7067.

FAQs

Are landlines being phased out?

Yes, traditional copper-wire landlines are being phased out starting August 2nd 2022. Community Phone offers a wireless landline alternative that allows you to keep your landline, without the need for internet or copper wires. Call Community Phone at (781)-516-7999 to learn more.

When will landlines be phased out?

On August 2nd, 2022, copper-wire landlines will start to phase out. In response to the FCC Landline Shutdown Order 19-72, traditional landline service providers are discontinuing their service and forcing customers to transition to internet-based phone service. Community Phone offers a better alternative. Call Community Phone at (781)-516-7999 to learn more.

What will replace landline phones?

Community Phone's wireless landline service will replace traditional landline phones. It's revolutionary landline base operates off local cell towers in your area, allowing you to keep your landline service without the need for internet or copper-wire connections.

Upgrade your landline service today
Check your address for coverage