Copper landlines are being retired: what changes for your home phone

What's changing

For about a century, home phones ran on copper wires. Phone companies are now retiring those wires and moving customers to phone service that runs over fiber, over a small wireless box in the home, or on a mobile phone. A company can stop selling the old service to new customers on its own. To stop providing it to the customers who still have it, the company needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC publishes a notice about each request, and under its rules a request can be approved automatically 31 days later unless the FCC steps in.

This is already happening. In October 2026 AT&T said it had stopped copper service in more than 500 communities in 18 states, Broadband Breakfast reported. Each FCC notice lists the earliest date the company may stop service in each area, which is the date the company asked for. For parts of Kansas, Kentucky, Texas and Wisconsin, for example, the FCC's notice of December 12, 2025 lists AT&T's date as on or after March 3, 2026. For parts of 55 areas in 13 states, its notice of July 29, 2026 lists on or after October 16, 2026.

Two large approvals have dates in November 2026:

• AT&T, on or after November 15, 2026, in parts of certain areas in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. That's from the same FCC notice of December 12, 2025. Broadband Breakfast reported that the application covered areas serving about 90,000 customers, that it was approved in January 2026, and that customers were notified in November 2025.
• Verizon and Frontier, on or after November 16, 2026, in former Frontier areas of Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. Frontier is now a Verizon company. That's from the FCC's public notice of July 21, 2026, which said the request would be approved automatically on August 21, 2026 unless the FCC stepped in. In September 2026 Broadband Breakfast reported that the FCC had let it be approved.

"On or after" is the earliest date allowed. It is not the day your phone changes.

In California, the FCC approved AT&T's request in June 2026 to stop old-style phone service in parts of 360 areas on or after June 1, 2027, according to the FCC's notice and Broadband Breakfast. California's own rules make retiring copper harder, and AT&T has asked the FCC to override them. Other requests are still being reviewed: on September 25, 2026 the FCC took a Verizon application for nine more states off the automatic-approval track so it could look more closely. AT&T has said it plans to retire most of its copper network by the end of 2029.

How to tell if this affects you

• Before your phone service is stopped, you'll be told in writing. The FCC's rules require a phone company to tell each affected customer in writing, with the planned date, before it asks to stop the service: by letter, or by email if you agreed to get notices that way. Frontier's page on the change says that if your service will be affected, it will mail you a letter well in advance, with a timeline. These notices are real, so check one the safe way (the first step below) rather than throwing it away.
• Replacing the wire is different. If a company only replaces the copper wire to your home and keeps your service the same, the FCC's rules require it to post a public notice and to tell other phone companies and 911 providers, but not to write to you. So a call or visit about new wiring or equipment can come without a letter. Before you agree to anything or let anyone in, check it by calling the number on your phone bill.
• Your home phone comes from a local phone company, such as AT&T, Verizon, Frontier or CenturyLink, and plugs into a wall jack. Each of these has asked the FCC to stop old-style service in some areas; CenturyLink's request, for example, covered parts of Kenansville, Florida, in the FCC's notice of January 13, 2026. A useful clue: a copper line carries its own power, so a plain corded phone on it usually keeps working when your electricity is out. Virginia's association of counties made that point to the FCC, as Broadband Breakfast reported.
• If your home phone comes through a cable company's box, it doesn't use the phone company's copper line, and these approvals aren't about it.
• If it comes through an AT&T internet box (AT&T calls this service AT&T Phone), AT&T has included that service in some of its requests too, such as the one for parts of 13 states with the October 16, 2026 date. Watch for a notice from AT&T just the same.

You're in good company. In the second half of 2025, about 35 in every 100 adults aged 65 and over still had a landline at home, according to the CDC's National Health Interview Survey.

What the phone companies say they'll do

• Frontier, a Verizon company, says it won't disconnect your copper service until an FCC-approved replacement is available at your address. It says you can keep your phone number, that 911 keeps working, and that the new equipment comes with a battery backup that uses ordinary replaceable batteries. In some areas the replacement lets you keep using your existing home phone.
• Verizon told Virginia's governor in September 2026 that if a suitable replacement isn't available, it won't stop copper phone service, Broadband Breakfast reported.
• AT&T is offering a replacement it calls AT&T Phone–Advanced, or a mobile line, according to Broadband Breakfast. In October 2026 AT&T said that customers can keep their phone service and 911 access through the change, and that it would keep working with customers rather than leave them without phone or emergency service.

What to do, step by step

1. Read the notice slowly, and check it's real. Call the phone number printed on your phone bill, not one from the notice, a text or a caller, and ask whether the notice applies to your line.
2. List everything that uses your phone line. Common ones: a medical alert pendant, a home security alarm, a fax machine, a captioned or TTY phone, and some satellite TV boxes. Call each company and ask, "Will this work on the new phone service?" Get the answer before the switch, not after.
3. If the replacement won't work for you, say so in writing. Write to your phone company and say exactly what won't work at your address, such as weak mobile signal at your home or a medical alert that needs a landline. Keep a copy. Frontier and Verizon say they won't stop copper service where no suitable replacement is available (see above), so a clear written account matters. You can also write to your state's utility commission: under the FCC's rules, the phone company must send it a copy of each request.
4. You may also be able to comment to the FCC. Each notice must explain how, but the deadline is short: about 15 days after the FCC publishes its own notice about the request. The FCC normally approves these requests unless it's shown that customers would be left without a reasonable replacement. For the AT&T, Verizon, Frontier and CenturyLink requests named on this page, those deadlines have passed, so for those, writing to your phone company is the way.
5. Ask about power cuts. The new equipment needs household electricity, with a battery to cover outages. Ask how long the battery lasts, how you'll know it's running low, and how to replace it. Keep a charged mobile phone too, if you have one.
6. Keep your number. Tell the company you want to keep it. Frontier says you can move it to its new service, to Verizon, or to another provider.
7. Ask about 911. Ask the installer to confirm your home address is set correctly for 911 calls on the new service.
8. Take your time choosing. You don't have to take the replacement your company offers. Frontier's page says customers are free to look at other services. A neighbor's cable company, or a mobile phone, may suit you better.
9. Write down what you agreed. Note the date, the name of the person you spoke to, the monthly price, and any equipment you were sent.

What it costs

The FCC filings and the company pages we read don't give a single price, and prices differ by area. Ask for the monthly price of the replacement in writing, and compare it with your current bill. Ask whether installation, equipment or replacement batteries cost extra. If the offer is a bundle with internet or TV, ask for the price of phone service alone.

Scams that ride along with this change

• "Your landline is being cut off today." A caller or visitor who says your service ends unless you pay now, or read out your account details, isn't from your phone company. The FTC's advice on calls pretending to be a utility applies here: hang up, and contact the company yourself.
• Unexpected "technicians" at the door. Ask for identification, then call the number on your bill to check before you let anyone in. A real appointment can wait ten minutes.
• Pressure to sign up on the spot. The notices arrive well ahead of time. Anyone who says you must decide today is selling something.
• Gift cards. The FTC puts it plainly: no real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them.