{ "title": "DataRemote Copper Retirement Bulletin — Q3 2026", "description": "Quarterly record of the U.S. copper telephone network’s retirement: line counts, regulatory actions, carrier notice trends, and impacted states. Every figure cites its source.", "edition": { "id": "2026-q3", "label": "Q3 2026", "publishedDate": "2026-08-17", "dataAsOf": "2026-08-17", "isLatest": false, "url": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026", "pageUrl": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026", "canonicalUrl": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026", "latestEditionUrl": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin", "markdown": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026.md", "pdf": "https://dataremote.com/documentation/research/dataremote-copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026.pdf", "noticesCsv": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026-att-notices-by-year.csv" }, "publisher": { "name": "DataRemote", "url": "https://dataremote.com" }, "author": { "name": "Joseph Hill", "jobTitle": "Lead of Business Systems, Data & Automation", "url": "https://dataremote.com/author/joseph-hill" }, "license": "https://dataremote.com/legal/terms-of-service", "summary": "The U.S. copper network is being retired faster than at any point since the transition began. About 15 million lines remain, and the count is falling roughly 18% a year. A copper retirement can now take effect on as little as 90 days of public notice. AT&T is approved to discontinue more than 30% of its copper footprint this year, and intends to exit most copper operations by the end of 2029. If fire alarm panels, elevator emergency phones, fax, or point-of-sale still run on copper, the planning window is set by the carrier, not you.", "keyFigures": [ { "id": "lines-in-service", "value": "15M", "label": "Traditional copper POTS lines still in service in the U.S.", "context": "The FCC counted 15.0 million end-user switched-access lines as of June 30, 2025, down from 27.2 million in mid-2022. That is a compound annual decline of 17.9%: the subscriber base roughly halves every four years while the network behind it still has to be maintained.", "url": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026#lines-in-service", "source": { "text": "FCC, Voice Telephone Services Report (data as of June 30, 2025)", "url": "https://www.fcc.gov/voice-telephone-services-report" } }, { "id": "notice-window", "value": "90 days", "label": "How little notice a copper retirement now requires", "context": "Under the FCC’s streamlined network-change rules, a carrier’s copper retirement can take effect in as little as 90 days after public notice. The FCC’s March 2026 order (FCC 26-19) went further for service discontinuance, creating a uniform 31-day automatic-approval window for discontinuance applications and asserting preemption of state rules that would delay a federally authorized retirement.", "url": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026#notice-window", "source": { "text": "FCC, Section 251 wireline network changes; FCC 26-19 news release (March 26, 2026)", "url": "https://www.fcc.gov/wireline-competition/general/section-251-wireline-network-changes" } }, { "id": "att-footprint", "value": "30%+", "label": "Share of AT&T’s copper footprint approved for discontinuance in 2026", "context": "In January 2026, reporting on FCC approvals showed AT&T authorized to discontinue service across more than 30% of its copper footprint within the year, the largest single-year expansion of its retirement program to date.", "url": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026#att-footprint", "source": { "text": "Broadband Breakfast (January 13, 2026)", "url": "https://broadbandbreakfast.com/at-t-approved-to-discontinue-service-at-more-than-30-of-copper-footprint-this-year/" } }, { "id": "copper-rates", "value": "$3,300+", "label": "Documented monthly rates on remaining copper lines", "context": "With legacy price regulation wound down, carriers are repricing the copper lines that remain. MetTel’s Copper Retirement Bulletin documents rates climbing to more than $3,300 per line per month across 10 states, with increases expected to continue until the lines are retired.", "url": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026#copper-rates", "source": { "text": "MetTel, Copper Retirement Bulletin (July 2026)", "url": "https://www.mettel.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Copper-Retirement-Bulletin.pdf" } } ], "attCopperRetirementNoticesByYear": { "source": { "text": "AT&T CLEC Online, Network Disclosures (the primary venue where these notices are published)", "url": "https://clec.att.com/clec/shell.cfm?section=2937" }, "note": "AT&T publishes its Section 251 network-change notices, including copper retirements, on its CLEC Online Network Disclosures site; annual copper-retirement counts shown here are as tallied by MetTel (Copper Retirement Bulletin, July 2026), whose 2026 figure includes 330 notices issued since January 1, 2026. DataRemote’s own check of AT&T’s disclosure listings on August 17, 2026 found more than 580 network-change disclosures listed for 2025 alone, consistent with the acceleration shown. Full DataRemote-derived tracking by notice type is planned for a future edition.", "series": [ { "year": 2019, "notices": 16 }, { "year": 2020, "notices": 82 }, { "year": 2021, "notices": 97 }, { "year": 2022, "notices": 111 }, { "year": 2023, "notices": 145 }, { "year": 2024, "notices": 240 }, { "year": 2025, "notices": 494 }, { "year": 2026, "notices": 824 } ] }, "impactedStates": [ { "heading": "AT&T grandfathering, effective October 15, 2025", "text": "AT&T grandfathered legacy copper voice and specialty-line services across its wire centers: no orders for new copper lines are accepted, while existing lines continue on rising rates until each wire center is retired. The underlying notices are published on AT&T’s CLEC Online Network Disclosures site.", "states": null, "statesNew": null, "statesNewNote": null, "source": { "text": "AT&T CLEC Online, Network Disclosures", "url": "https://clec.att.com/clec/shell.cfm?section=2937" } }, { "heading": "Lumen: copper retirement across legacy CenturyLink states", "text": "Lumen closed new copper POTS orders across its legacy CenturyLink territory in 2025 and publishes rolling Rule 51.333 public notices of copper retirement covering wire centers in multiple states on its network-disclosures site.", "states": null, "statesNew": null, "statesNewNote": null, "source": { "text": "CenturyLink (Lumen), Public Notice of Copper Retirement under Rule 51.333", "url": "https://www.centurylink.com/content/dam/home/about-us/legal/network-disclosures/910%20Copper%20Retirements%20in%20Various%20States.pdf" } }, { "heading": "AT&T discontinued service areas: 21 states", "text": "AT&T’s own Discontinued Service Areas file, checked by DataRemote on August 17, 2026, lists more than 100,000 location entries across wire centers and distribution areas in 21 states, including three (CA, KS, NV) added since mid-2025:", "states": [ "AL", "AR", "CA", "FL", "GA", "IL", "IN", "KS", "KY", "LA", "MI", "MO", "MS", "NC", "NV", "OH", "OK", "SC", "TN", "TX", "WI" ], "statesNew": [ "CA", "KS", "NV" ], "statesNewNote": "added since mid-2025", "source": { "text": "AT&T, Prime Access Discontinued Service Areas (workbook, retrieved August 17, 2026)", "url": "https://clec.att.com/clec_documents/unrestr/clec/common/PrimeAccess_Model-Discontinued_Service_Areas.xlsx" } } ], "map": { "alt": "Map of the United States with 21 states shaded red where AT&T lists discontinued service areas", "caption": "21 states with AT&T discontinued service areas, per AT&T’s own workbook: more than 100,000 location entries, with CA, KS, and NV added since mid-2025.", "legend": null }, "timeline": [ { "date": "2025-06-30", "text": "FCC data vintage: 15.0 million end-user switched-access lines remain in service nationwide, down 17.9% per year since mid-2022.", "source": { "text": "FCC, Voice Telephone Services Report", "url": "https://www.fcc.gov/voice-telephone-services-report" } }, { "date": "2025-10-15", "text": "AT&T grandfathering takes effect across its copper wire centers: no new copper voice or specialty line orders are accepted.", "source": { "text": "AT&T CLEC Online, Network Disclosures", "url": "https://clec.att.com/clec/shell.cfm?section=2937" } }, { "date": "2026-01-13", "text": "Reporting on FCC approvals shows AT&T authorized to discontinue service across more than 30% of its copper footprint during 2026.", "source": { "text": "Broadband Breakfast", "url": "https://broadbandbreakfast.com/at-t-approved-to-discontinue-service-at-more-than-30-of-copper-footprint-this-year/" } }, { "date": "2026-03-26", "text": "The FCC adopts Report and Order FCC 26-19, streamlining copper retirement and legacy service discontinuance: a uniform 31-day automatic-approval window, grandfathering of legacy voice and low-speed data through customer notice, and asserted preemption of state or local rules that would delay a federally authorized retirement.", "source": { "text": "FCC 26-19 news release", "url": "https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-420132A1.txt" } }, { "date": "2026-05-01", "text": "AT&T petitions the FCC to declare that California rules cannot impede full POTS discontinuance in the affected areas; the FCC opens the petition for public comment (WC Docket No. 26-125).", "source": { "text": "FCC Public Notice DA 26-520", "url": "https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-520A1.pdf" } } ], "implications": [ "Support for copper central offices diminishes as retirement approaches. Repairs get slower and harder to schedule. That raises the odds of extended outages on the lines that remain.", "Rates on remaining copper lines have risen steadily for a decade, and are expected to keep rising until the lines are retired. Documented cases now exceed $3,300 per line per month.", "The timeline is compressed at both ends. Full retirement notices have historically given customers 180 days to move, per MetTel’s tracking. Under the FCC’s streamlined rules, a retirement can take effect on as little as 90 days of public notice.", "Carriers discontinuing voice service are no longer required to offer a stand-alone voice replacement. A bundled alternative can satisfy the requirement.", "Copper retirement reaches beyond phones. Fire alarm panels, elevator emergency phones, security systems, fax, and point-of-sale lines are all affected. A disconnected life-safety line is also a code problem: it can block inspections and occupancy sign-off, or force paid fire-watch coverage until communication is restored.", "Demand for replacement hardware and installation surges as each wave of notices lands. Organizations that wait for their notice compete for equipment and scheduling with everyone else who waited." ], "prepareSteps": [ { "title": "Inventory your copper-based services", "text": "List every copper line and what runs on it, paying closest attention to safety-critical and business-critical specialty lines: fire panels, elevator phones, security systems, fax machines, and point-of-sale devices." }, { "title": "Match each endpoint to compatible replacement hardware", "text": "Most replacement products have compatibility limits with analog signaling. Life-safety endpoints need certified equipment and sign-off from your alarm company, elevator contractor, and the authority having jurisdiction." }, { "title": "Plan the transition before the notice arrives", "text": "Migrating on your own schedule is cheaper and calmer than migrating inside a notice window, and installation demand rises with every notice wave. Verify each line’s replacement before the copper is disconnected." } ], "faq": [ { "question": "What is POTS replacement?", "answer": "POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) replacement is the migration of analog copper telephone lines to a managed cellular or IP connection using an on-site appliance that presents the same analog interface, so the connected equipment keeps operating unchanged. It preserves the line while retiring the copper underneath it, which is what keeps fire panels, elevator phones, fax machines, and point-of-sale devices working without being replaced." }, { "question": "When do I need to act?", "answer": "Before your notice arrives. Grandfathering already blocks new copper orders across much of the AT&T and Lumen footprints, retirement notices are accelerating year over year, and a retirement can take effect on as little as 90 days of public notice under the FCC’s streamlined rules. Organizations that migrate on their own schedule avoid the pricing, scheduling, and compliance pressure of migrating inside a notice window." }, { "question": "Which lines are most at risk?", "answer": "Code-governed and business-critical specialty lines: fire alarm panels, elevator emergency phones, security systems, fax, and point-of-sale devices. These endpoints depend on analog signaling behaviors that generic VoIP adapters often do not preserve, and for life-safety lines the replacement must satisfy the applicable code and the authority having jurisdiction, not just provide dial tone." }, { "question": "How does DataRemote address copper retirement?", "answer": "POTS IN A BOX® appliances present standard RJ-11 FXS ports locally and carry voice, fax, DTMF, and alarm signaling over managed cellular (5G/LTE) or wired IP, with integrated battery backup, automatic cellular failover, and E911 support on properly provisioned models and configurations. Every appliance is managed through the Ara platform for provisioning, real-time line status, alerts, and remote diagnostics, which is how deployments scale to thousands of sites." }, { "question": "How is this bulletin updated?", "answer": "Quarterly. Each edition is a dated record: new editions are added and prior editions are archived unchanged, so a citation to a specific edition stays accurate. Every figure links to its source, and third-party tracking data is always attributed to the organization that produced it." } ], "methodology": "This edition compiles verified public data with primary sourcing wherever a primary record exists. Line counts and decline rates come from the FCC’s Voice Telephone Services Report; regulatory actions from FCC orders and public notices (FCC 26-19, DA 26-520, and the Section 251 network-change rules); footprint approvals from cited independent reporting; carrier retirement and grandfathering notices from the venues where carriers publish them (AT&T CLEC Online Network Disclosures; Lumen’s Rule 51.333 public notices); and the discontinued-service-area state list directly from AT&T’s own Discontinued Service Areas workbook, retrieved and reviewed by DataRemote on August 17, 2026. Annual notice tallies and copper rate observations are attributed to MetTel’s Copper Retirement Bulletin, the only published source for those series. No figure is estimated or modeled by DataRemote. Full DataRemote-derived notice tracking by type and wire center is planned for a future edition and will be published with its method.", "disclaimer": "This bulletin is provided for general information and is not legal, regulatory, or code-compliance advice. Figures reflect their cited sources as of the data date shown above; confirm current requirements and timelines with the FCC, your carrier, and the authorities having jurisdiction over your systems. Final acceptance of any life-safety installation depends on the product model, endpoint compatibility, installation, configuration, code edition, and the authority having jurisdiction.", "editions": [ { "label": "Q4 2026", "publishedDate": "2026-11-06", "url": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q4-2026", "json": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q4-2026.json", "pdf": "https://dataremote.com/documentation/research/dataremote-copper-retirement-bulletin-q4-2026.pdf" }, { "label": "Q3 2026", "publishedDate": "2026-08-17", "url": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026", "json": "https://dataremote.com/resources/research/copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026.json", "pdf": "https://dataremote.com/documentation/research/dataremote-copper-retirement-bulletin-q3-2026.pdf" } ] }