Cities Are Cutting the Cord on Copper Telephone Lines: Is Yours Next?
Originally published in Government Technology Insider
Direct Answer
Yes — and most local governments aren’t ready. The FCC has cleared the way for carriers to retire copper telephone networks, and up to 88 million POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) lines still operate in the U.S. AT&T and CenturyLink have already filed copper retirement notices across more than a dozen states. Cities that haven’t audited their copper-dependent lines — alarm panels, elevator phones, emergency call boxes — risk service disruptions when a shutdown notice lands. A POTS Transformation approach lets municipalities move to IP-based connectivity without replacing existing analog equipment.
MIAMI, FL / Government Technology Insider / April 30, 2025
Key takeaways
- The FCC has approved faster copper retirement rules, and carriers are actively filing to discontinue copper service state by state.
- Up to 88 million POTS lines remain in service in the U.S., representing a massive and still-largely-unaddressed migration.
- AT&T has active or announced copper retirement filings in California, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and Florida; CenturyLink is transitioning copper to fiber across seven Western and Midwestern states.
- The USPS’s 17,000-location POTS Transformation deployment demonstrates that digital IP replacement works at federal scale without swapping analog equipment.
- Municipalities should audit copper-dependent lines now — voice, fire alarms, elevator phones, emergency call boxes — rather than waiting for a shutdown notice.
Preparing for the copper telephone line retirement
The digital age demands modern infrastructure. Yet beneath city streets and inside government office walls, a growing challenge persists: aging copper telephone lines. While residents expect instant digital communication, many local governments still depend on this legacy technology — a system that increasingly poses safety risks, drains budgets, and slows modernization efforts. The FCC has streamlined the process for carriers to retire copper networks, and the transition is already underway. Cities that fail to adapt risk being left behind.
Industry estimates suggest up to 88 million POTS lines remain active in the U.S., highlighting the scale of this impending shift.
What municipalities must know
This issue is particularly relevant for local and city governments. Depending on location, specific risks and opportunities exist to facilitate the transition:
| Region | What’s happening |
|---|---|
| California | Rapid copper network retirements by providers like AT&T make proactive planning and funding acquisition critical; state authorities have raised service-continuity and consumer-protection concerns. |
| Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas | AT&T has announced closures of copper feeder facilities, signaling a significant shift toward digital alternatives. |
| Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Washington | CenturyLink’s planned copper retirements in favor of fiber optic lines present an opportunity for local governments to partner with the provider and accelerate upgrades. |
| Florida | AT&T Florida filed a public notice to retire parts of its copper network, impacting areas including Orlando — local governments must act quickly to secure resources and inform residents. |
USPS POTS Transformation: proof digital IP works at scale
Even federal agencies are recognizing the need to modernize. The United States Postal Service recently completed a transition of over 17,000 locations nationwide from traditional copper lines to a digital IP-based solution, earning MetTel a 2024 USPS Supplier Excellence Award. This demonstrates the feasibility and benefits of such a transformation, even at national scale.
The USPS’s POTS Transformation solution — hardware that replaces Plain Old Telephone Service with a digital equivalent — allows agencies to maintain existing analog equipment while gaining the advantages of IP telephony, including increased reliability, cost savings, and advanced monitoring features.
This solution supports specialty lines including elevators, fire alarms, and emergency call boxes, and has received approval from public safety organizations — further demonstrating its reliability for life-safety use cases.
Why cities need digital IP solutions over copper landlines
Today’s analog landlines rely on century-old copper-wire technology, and maintaining this aging infrastructure is costly — a burden that ultimately passes to residents through higher fees. As climate-related disasters grow more frequent, the vulnerabilities of copper lines — susceptibility to water damage and power outages — pose a growing risk to public safety. Transitioning to digital IP systems delivers greater reliability during emergencies, offering a lifeline when it matters most.
Fortunately, viable digital alternatives exist, offering meaningful cost savings, increased reliability, and enhanced features. Solutions like the one implemented by the USPS demonstrate that transition doesn’t require replacing existing equipment — a POTS Transformation approach allows continued use of analog phones and devices while gaining the benefits of IP technology, including improved reliability, performance visibility, and support for specialty lines like elevators, fire alarms, and emergency call boxes.
Why the resistance to change?
People are naturally wary of abandoning the familiar, especially something as seemingly reliable as a landline. But these copper lines have reached end of life. As they age and deteriorate, they pose a significant risk to critical infrastructure — no different than neglected roads, bridges, or tunnels. Just as governments invest in maintaining physical infrastructure, they must modernize communication networks.
The path forward
The disappearance of copper lines won’t happen overnight, but the transition is inevitable. Many people remain unaware of existing alternatives and the potential impact of a failing telecom infrastructure. Local governments should take immediate action by conducting infrastructure audits of copper-dependent lines to help ensure continuity of service. Cities that embrace this change will not only enhance public safety and reduce costs but also position themselves as leaders in the digital era.
Continued reliance on outdated technology is impractical when a more cost-effective, resilient, and readily available alternative exists. See DataRemote’s complete guide to POTS line replacement for a practical starting point, or explore POTS IN A BOX® devices built for exactly this transition.
Related reading: Digitizing telecoms for the future explains why copper modernization is now a business imperative, and DataRemote COO Timor Brik weighs in on whether you’re ready for the POTS line shutdown.
— Timor Brik, Chief Operating Officer of DataRemote and licensed attorney with 10+ years of experience modernizing the telecommunications industry
Frequently Asked Questions
The FCC has approved streamlined copper retirement rules, and carriers like AT&T and CenturyLink are actively discontinuing copper service in many states. Copper infrastructure is costly to maintain, increasingly unreliable, and vulnerable to water and power damage — pushing municipalities toward digital IP alternatives.
As of this reporting, AT&T has filed to retire copper feeder facilities in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, and parts of Florida (including Orlando), while California regulators have raised service-continuity concerns over AT&T's copper retirements statewide. CenturyLink has announced copper-to-fiber transitions across Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
No. A POTS Transformation approach, such as DataRemote's POTS IN A BOX®, replaces the underlying copper line while keeping existing analog phones, fire alarms, elevator phones, and emergency call boxes in place.
Industry estimates cited in this reporting put the figure at up to 88 million remaining POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) lines nationwide, underscoring the scale of the transition still ahead.
Is your city or agency prepared for copper retirement?
Talk to DataRemote about a compliant, drop-in POTS replacement plan for your locations.
