# DataRemote COO Timor Brik to Join MetTel Webinar on AT&T's November 15 Copper Shutdown

> DataRemote Chief Operating Officer Timor Brik will join MetTel's Sean Sullivan, VP of Product Management & Regulatory Affairs, for a live webinar on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET on AT&T's planned discontinuance of copper-based services in portions of 19 states on or after November 15, 2026.

- Category: Executive Commentary
- Published: October 19, 2026
- Author: DataRemote
- Event: Your Business ZIP Code Is on the Clock, hosted by MetTel, online, starting 2026-10-20T16:00:00.000Z
- Registration: https://engage.mettel.net/10-26-webinar-copper-retirement?utm_source=dataremote.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=att-copper-shutdown-webinar-2026-10-20&utm_content=markdown-mirror
- Calendar file: https://dataremote.com/newsroom/news/dataremote-coo-mettel-webinar-att-copper-shutdown-november-15.ics
- Geography: Alabama, United States, Arkansas, United States, Florida, United States, Georgia, United States, Illinois, United States, Indiana, United States, Kansas, United States, Kentucky, United States, Louisiana, United States, Michigan, United States, Mississippi, United States, Missouri, United States, North Carolina, United States, Ohio, United States, Oklahoma, United States, South Carolina, United States, Tennessee, United States, Texas, United States, Wisconsin, United States
- Primary entity: topic:copper-retirement
- Mentions: organization:att, organization:dataremote, family:pots-in-a-box
- Related entities: solution:pots-line-replacement, endpoint:fire-alarm-panel, endpoint:elevator-emergency-phone, endpoint:burglar-alarm-panel, endpoint:fax-machine, endpoint:analog-telephone, topic:copper-retirement, topic:pots-line-replacement, standard:fcc-copper-retirement-rules, standard:fcc-network-modernization-rules, definition:copper-retirement, definition:wire-center, definition:pots, definition:pots-line-replacement
## Key facts

- Event: "Your Business ZIP Code Is on the Clock," a live webinar hosted by MetTel on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET. MetTel's invitations describe it as free, with live Q&A.
- Speakers: Sean Sullivan, VP of Product Management & Regulatory Affairs, MetTel; and Timor Brik, Chief Operating Officer, DataRemote.
- Subject: three Section 63.71 applications AT&T filed with the FCC on December 1, 2025, each stating that the affected services will be discontinued "effective on or after November 15, 2026, pending regulatory approval."
- AT&T's legacy POTS application covers AT&T Residential Local Service and AT&T Business Local Exchange Access Line Service for approximately 90,000 customers in portions of wire centers in 18 states.
- Two companion applications, covering Remote Call Forwarding/TeleBranch and copper-only AT&T Phone and AT&T Phone for Business service, extend the footprint to 19 states by adding Illinois.
- Affected areas are portions of specific AT&T wire centers, not whole states. MetTel's event page lists the ZIP codes in the affected areas.

DataRemote Chief Operating Officer [Timor Brik](https://dataremote.com/author/timor-brik) will present with [Sean Sullivan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sullivanseanj/), MetTel's VP of Product Management & Regulatory Affairs, in **"Your Business ZIP Code Is on the Clock,"** a live MetTel webinar on **Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET**. The session covers AT&T's planned discontinuance of copper-based services in portions of 19 states on or after November 15, 2026.

## The event

- **Host:** MetTel, whose [POTS Transformation solution is built on DataRemote's 90X1](https://dataremote.com/newsroom/news/mettel-pots-transformation-dataremote-90x1).
- **Date and time:** Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 12:00 PM ET.
- **Format:** Live webinar with Q&A. MetTel's invitations describe it as a no-cost session.
- **Registration:** [MetTel's event page](https://engage.mettel.net/10-26-webinar-copper-retirement?utm_source=dataremote.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=att-copper-shutdown-webinar-2026-10-20&utm_content=newsroom-event).

MetTel's event page lists these agenda topics:

1. How to identify copper dependence
2. Which systems could be affected, from voice and fax lines to alarms, fire panels, elevator phones, and security systems
3. Why older replacement playbooks fall short
4. How to build a location-by-location plan
5. What the retirement activity means for a broader POTS strategy

## The speakers

**Sean Sullivan** is VP of Product Management & Regulatory Affairs at MetTel.

**Timor Brik** is Chief Operating Officer of DataRemote. He previously served as the company's General Counsel and is a licensed attorney. He writes and speaks on copper retirement, POTS line replacement, and telecom regulation; his published commentary is collected on his [author page](https://dataremote.com/author/timor-brik).

## What AT&T filed

On December 1, 2025, AT&T Services, Inc., on behalf of its incumbent local exchange carrier affiliates, filed three applications with the FCC under Section 214(a) of the Communications Act and 47 C.F.R. § 63.71. Each states that the affected services will be discontinued "effective on or after November 15, 2026, pending regulatory approval." AT&T served courtesy copies on the Florida Public Service Commission, which published them on December 10, 2025.

| Application | Affected services | Service area |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Legacy POTS](https://www.floridapsc.com/library/filings/2025/15393-2025/15393-2025.pdf) | AT&T Residential Local Service and AT&T Business Local Exchange Access Line Service, provided to approximately 90,000 customers | Portions of wire centers in 18 states |
| [Remote Call Forwarding](https://www.floridapsc.com/library/filings/2025/15395-2025/15395-2025.pdf) | Remote Call Forwarding Service and TeleBranch | Portions of wire centers in 19 states |
| [Copper-only VoIP](https://www.floridapsc.com/library/filings/2025/15396-2025/15396-2025.pdf) | AT&T Phone Service and AT&T Phone for Business where AT&T can provide them only over copper | Portions of wire centers in 19 states |

The 18 states in the legacy POTS application are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. The two companion applications add Illinois, which is the 19-state footprint MetTel's event materials reference. AT&T states that it had previously grandfathered the affected services in these areas, meaning no new orders for them are accepted.

On January 13, 2026, [Broadband Breakfast](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/at-t-approved-to-discontinue-service-at-more-than-30-of-copper-footprint-this-year/) reported that the legacy POTS application had been automatically granted under the FCC's streamlined discontinuance process.

## Scope

- Service areas are portions of the AT&T wire centers listed in Exhibit 1 of each application, not entire states. Whether a given location is affected depends on its address.
- This record summarizes AT&T's filed applications as served on the Florida Public Service Commission. It does not cover AT&T's other discontinuance proceedings, which carry different dates and services. One example is WC Docket No. 26-276, which covers business POTS sold by AT&T as PrimePath Service or as Business Local Exchange Service associated with AT&T Business Network, OneNet Option, or ACC Business in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Under [FCC public notice DA 26-1075](https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-1075A1.pdf), released October 5, 2026, comments in that docket are due October 20, 2026, and the application will be deemed granted on November 5, 2026 unless the FCC acts, with an authorized date of on or after November 5, 2026.
- The webinar's content is the speakers' presentation. This record announces the event and does not reproduce it.

## Related resources

What building owners and facilities teams should do about AT&T's retirements is covered separately in [AT&T Copper Retirement: What It Means for You](https://dataremote.com/blog/att-copper-retirement-what-it-means-for-you) and [Copper Shutdown: A Building Owner's Guide](https://dataremote.com/blog/att-copper-shutdown-building). DataRemote tracks carrier notices in its [Copper Retirement Bulletin](https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin), and its [POTS line replacement](https://dataremote.com/solutions/pots-line-replacement) appliances are designed to keep analog endpoints such as fire alarm panels, elevator emergency phones, and fax machines operating over managed cellular service. The [FCC copper retirement rules](https://dataremote.com/newsroom/standards/fcc-copper-retirement-rules) page describes the underlying regulatory framework.

Media inquiries: [sales@dataremote.com](mailto:sales@dataremote.com).

## Sources

- [Section 63.71 Application of AT&T: legacy POTS, 18 states (courtesy copy, Doc. No. 15393-2025)](https://www.floridapsc.com/library/filings/2025/15393-2025/15393-2025.pdf) — AT&T, via Florida Public Service Commission
- [Section 63.71 Application of AT&T: Remote Call Forwarding, 19 states (courtesy copy, Doc. No. 15395-2025)](https://www.floridapsc.com/library/filings/2025/15395-2025/15395-2025.pdf) — AT&T, via Florida Public Service Commission
- [Section 63.71 Application of AT&T: copper-only VoIP, 19 states (courtesy copy, Doc. No. 15396-2025)](https://www.floridapsc.com/library/filings/2025/15396-2025/15396-2025.pdf) — AT&T, via Florida Public Service Commission
- [AT&T Approved to Discontinue Service at More Than 30% of Copper Footprint This Year](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/at-t-approved-to-discontinue-service-at-more-than-30-of-copper-footprint-this-year/) — Broadband Breakfast
- [Comments Invited on AT&T's Section 214 Application to Discontinue Domestic Legacy Voice Service as Part of a Technology Transition, WC Docket No. 26-276 (DA 26-1075)](https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-1075A1.pdf) — Federal Communications Commission, Wireline Competition Bureau

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Canonical page: https://dataremote.com/newsroom/news/dataremote-coo-mettel-webinar-att-copper-shutdown-november-15
Organization: DataRemote, Inc. — POTS line replacement, cellular failover, and fixed wireless access solutions. https://dataremote.com