About two weeks ago WETM, a television news outlet in New York State, reported that Verizon released a statement concerning copper wire-based landline telephone service. It linked to a Verizon website that stated “across the country, Verizon is modernizing our networks and transitioning customers from legacy copper infrastructure to modern communications technologies built for how people live, work, and stay safe today.”
WETM noted that the announcement was recent. Additionally, customers in West Virginia and elsewhere have received letters from Verizon alerting them to the possibility of disconnection.
In the Mountain State, the Pendleton County Office of Emergency Management also called attention to concerns over this statement. It shared that Verizon will not leave current copper line customers without service as part of modernization efforts.
Frontier acquired Verizon’s West Virginia infrastructure in July 2010. Its tenure of ownership until the 2024 reacquisition of the network by Verizon has put it at the losing end of major lawsuits and ongoing lack of customer faith in Frontier’s ability to deliver consistent service.
A Verizon release on the merger stated that “over approximately four years, Frontier has invested $41 billion upgrading and expanding its fiber network” nationwide. Nick Jeffrey, President and Chief Executive Officer, noted that “it’s also a vote of confidence in the future of fiber.”
According to PC Magazine, Verizon has applications to discontinue copper line-based service in 18 states “saying that only just over two percent of the networks are in use across the affected locations”
In a recent 17-page letter, Verizon shared that it “will confirm whether a Commission-approved replacement service is available at the customer’s address prior to transitioning that customer off of POTS [Plain Old Telephone Service] over copper network facilities.” The Federal Communications Commission, the Commission referred to by Verizon, requires that replacement technology provide “substantially similar levels of network infrastructure and service quality as the service being discontinued.”
One of the reasons given by Verizon for discontinuing the century-old service lay in the opportunity cost spent on maintaining the aging network. Verizon was quoted by the Rappahannock News as stating that “every day that passes without approval is a missed opportunity to unleash resources for investment, reduce inefficient energy consumption, and free useful copper for more valuable purposes.”
Last Friday, the FCC halted the process of approving Verizon’s request to investigate further. It stated that the pause did not reflect a determination to deny the request.
The Pendleton County OEM shared, after speaking with State officials, that “it is our understanding . . . that no disconnection can occur without an approved alternative.”
“If a location lacks fiber, adequate wireless coverage, or another approved replacement voice service, they will not discontinue the existing copper line service,” stated the Pendleton County OEM. They added that the FCC required that Verizon inform a number of customers who are not part of Verizon’s plan of disconnection.
Furthermore, it encouraged “if you end up being advised that your location has an alternative service, such as cellular, and you do not, challenge that claim with Frontier/Verizon and also contact the FCC. We have found that FCC maps, particularly related to cellular telephone coverage, are not accurate and do not represent real life coverage.”
