AT&T sues California for trying to shut down old phones

AT&T sued California yesterday over the state’s refusal to order the carrier to stop providing phone service to all potential customers in its radio area. AT&T is also asking the Federal Communications Commission to rule that California cannot enforce its laws and allow AT&T to stop providing service to about 199,000 cellphone customers.

“California requires AT&T to spend $1 billion each year to maintain century-old telephone lines that no one uses,” AT&T said. a case was filed in the US Supreme Court for the Southern District of California. “Copper wires that once served every home now serve only three households in AT&T’s California region, as consumers flee each day to modern solutions that are cheaper, more reliable, and less energy efficient.”

In June 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) denied AT&T’s request eliminate the Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligation that requires it to provide landline service to any customer who may be in its territory. AT&T said it has received relief from the COLR obligation in 20 of the 21 states in its wireless network, all but California.

“The federal government and nearly all states where AT&T previously provided POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) have now removed the old barriers, allowing AT&T to begin rolling out its POTS network and increasing its investment in modern telecommunications technology.

AT&T complained that “underutilized copper networks are an easy target for criminals — California has already suffered nearly 2,000 copper thefts this year — and drains more than 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.”

AT&T does not convert all lines to FIBER

AT&T has argued for years that California is preventing it from replacing copper with modern technology. But California officials say AT&T is allowed to upgrade copper lines with better technology.