# Health Data Management Quotes DataRemote on FCC Order's Impact on Rural Hospitals

> On August 12, 2026, Health Data Management reported that the FCC's March 26, 2026 network modernization order is pressing rural hospitals and clinics still on copper POTS lines to migrate, quoting DataRemote COO Timor Brik and MetTel's Sean Sullivan.

- Category: Executive Commentary
- Published: August 12, 2026
- Author: DataRemote
- Geography: United States
- Primary entity: standard:fcc-network-modernization-rules
- Mentions: organization:att, platform:ara, family:pots-in-a-box
- Related entities: product:90x1, solution:pots-line-replacement, solution:fax-line-replacement, solution:elevator-emergency-communications, solution:fire-alarm-communication, endpoint:fax-machine, endpoint:elevator-emergency-phone, endpoint:fire-alarm-panel, topic:copper-retirement, topic:pots-line-replacement, topic:life-safety-communications, standard:fcc-copper-retirement-rules, definition:copper-retirement, definition:pots, definition:pots-line-replacement, definition:network-modernization
## Key facts

- Health Data Management published "Federal edict accelerates the transition from outdated telecom tech" by Mark Hagland on August 12, 2026.
- The article covers the FCC's Network and Services Modernization Order (FCC 26-19, WC Docket Nos. 25-208 and 25-209), adopted March 26, 2026, which streamlines copper retirement and preempts conflicting state and local requirements.
- DataRemote COO Timor Brik is quoted on the shrinking copper market, the analog equipment still dependent on it, and the case for planned rather than forced migration.
- MetTel's Sean Sullivan is quoted on AT&T's copper shutdown timeline and on modernizing 17,000 U.S. Postal Service stations in about 20 months.
- The article cites the FCC Rural Health Care Program, administered by USAC, as a funding source some providers are turning to; the Healthcare Connect Fund offers a flat 65 percent discount on eligible broadband connectivity.
- The FCC order sets no customer-facing deadline; discontinuance dates come from each carrier's filings and notices.

On August 12, 2026, [Health Data Management](https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/articles/federal-edict-accelerates-the-transition-from-outdated-telecom-tech) published "Federal edict accelerates the transition from outdated telecom tech," a report by Mark Hagland on how the Federal Communications Commission's spring 2026 rules are affecting hospitals and clinics that still rely on plain old telephone service ([POTS](https://dataremote.com/newsroom/definitions/pots)) lines. The article quotes DataRemote Chief Operating Officer Timor Brik and MetTel Vice President of Product Management Sean Sullivan.

## The order the article covers

The FCC adopted the Network and Services Modernization Order (FCC 26-19, WC Docket Nos. 25-208 and 25-209) at its March 26, 2026 open meeting. The Commission's [release](https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-420132A1.pdf) states that the rules "will get communities off of old and slow copper lines and onto new, high-speed networks" and will allow providers to retire copper networks, "freeing up tens of billions of dollars annually" for modern networks.

Per the release, the order eliminates the filing requirements associated with the network change disclosure rules, overhauls and streamlines Section 214 discontinuance applications for technology transitions, grants blanket Section 214(a) authority to grandfather legacy voice, lower-speed data, and interconnected VoIP services provisioned over copper, and provides that state and local requirements forcing carriers to maintain legacy networks after an approved discontinuance "conflict with federal law and are subject to preemption." The release also states the order retains safeguards for public safety and continuity of 911 service.

The order sets no customer-facing deadline. Discontinuance dates come from each carrier's filings and notices. The site's [FCC network modernization rules](https://dataremote.com/newsroom/standards/fcc-network-modernization-rules) and [FCC copper retirement rules](https://dataremote.com/newsroom/standards/fcc-copper-retirement-rules) pages describe the framework.

## What the article reports

Health Data Management reports that the FCC's action puts pressure on facilities, particularly rural ones still on POTS, to change how devices such as elevator phones and emergency panels connect. It cites a Phonewire [blog post](https://www.phonewire.com/blog/6602) stating that U.S. PSTN lines fell from 171 million in 2005 to 11.7 million in 2024 and that AT&T spends approximately $6 billion a year maintaining its copper network.

The article notes that some patient care organizations are turning to managed VoIP, fiber, and dedicated 4G/5G LTE cellular communicators to keep life-critical analog systems online, and that some are seeking funding through the FCC Rural Health Care Program. Per [USAC](https://www.usac.org/rural-health-care/), which administers the program, the Healthcare Connect Fund provides a flat 65 percent discount on eligible broadband connectivity for eligible rural health care providers and qualifying consortia, and the Telecommunications Program subsidizes the difference between urban and rural rates for telecommunications services.

## DataRemote's comments

Brik is quoted as follows:

> "The copper line telephone market is niche now. We've spent the last 30 years focusing on how we can help carriers shut down their copper networks across the country, while providing an adequate replacement for the service. We think that every office phone has been replaced by a cell phone or VoIP phone, but elevators, faxes, all sorts of tools are still relying on copper lines. It's important to be proactive now."

> "It's an imminent problem that's being accelerated by the FCC and federal preemption of state laws that were slowing this down. Honestly, the national infrastructure can no longer support these copper lines, and carriers are physically ripping copper lines out and using them for data center purposes."

> "So you have that convergence of factors that's going to cause the rural hospital facilities to be forced to migrate, and they should do it in a planned manner. The FCC's Rural Healthcare Fund offers some support."

## MetTel's comments

Sullivan, of DataRemote partner MetTel, is quoted on AT&T's schedule: "AT&T started their nationwide shutdown June 30, and they're going to turn down their copper network within two years." [Light Reading](https://www.lightreading.com/broadband/at-t-s-copper-retirement-plan-plows-ahead) reported in September 2025 that AT&T's FCC-approved first wave, covering roughly 500 wire centers, would take effect in June 2026, and that the carrier aims to complete copper retirement by the end of 2029.

On scale, Sullivan cites MetTel's work for the U.S. Postal Service: "One of our multi-location clients, the U.S. Postal Service, needed to modernize their postal stations, and we updated 17,000 US postal stations within about 20 months." He adds: "The time to act is now; you want to find a trusted partner that has done this before and can manage all the different communication lines at the same time. Then the partner is going to have to do a complete inventory, start with the most mission-critical and work things through."

MetTel's POTS transformation program runs on DataRemote [POTS IN A BOX®](https://dataremote.com/pots-in-a-box/90x1) hardware and the [Ara](https://dataremote.com/ara) platform. Related records: [MetTel's USPS supplier excellence award](https://dataremote.com/newsroom/news/mettel-usps-supplier-excellence-award-dataremote) and [MetTel's VA POTS transformation contract](https://dataremote.com/newsroom/news/va-pots-transformation).

## Scope

This page summarizes third-party reporting and the public FCC release it cites. It does not restate the order's full text, and the quotations reflect the speakers' views as published. Whether a particular connectivity service qualifies for Rural Health Care Program support is a USAC eligibility determination. Guidance on planning a migration is covered separately in the [FCC copper retirement compliance guide](https://dataremote.com/blog/fcc-2025-copper-retirement-what-businesses-must-do) and [POTS line replacement](https://dataremote.com/solutions/pots-line-replacement) pages.

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

## Sources

- [FCC Takes Action to Speed Up Rollout of Modern, High-Speed Networks](https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-420132A1.pdf) — Federal Communications Commission
- [Rural Health Care Program](https://www.usac.org/rural-health-care/) — Universal Service Administrative Company
- [The Future of Landlines: Understanding the FCC Shutdown](https://www.phonewire.com/blog/6602) — Phonewire
- [AT&T's copper retirement plan plows ahead](https://www.lightreading.com/broadband/at-t-s-copper-retirement-plan-plows-ahead) — Light Reading

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Canonical page: https://dataremote.com/newsroom/news/health-data-management-fcc-copper-retirement-rural-hospitals
Organization: DataRemote, Inc. — POTS line replacement, cellular failover, and fixed wireless access solutions. https://dataremote.com