{"id":2173,"date":"2026-06-15T13:40:37","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T13:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2173"},"modified":"2026-06-15T13:40:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T13:40:37","slug":"customers-worry-their-landlines-are-languishing-as-att-escalates-bid-to-drop-mandatory-service-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2173","title":{"rendered":"Customers worry their landlines are languishing as AT&T escalates bid to drop mandatory service in California"},"content":{"rendered":"
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AT&T has redoubled efforts to end its obligation to provide basic phone service, and especially landlines, across large swaths of California. After failed regulatory bids and a legislative workaround last year, the telecom giant has now taken its yearslong fight to the federal level and the courts.<\/p>\n

Read more Police arrest East Bay man suspected of causing $48,000 in damages to ATM<\/a><\/p>\n

AT&T has insisted the state\u2019s regulatory system, which requires the utility to provide reliable voice connection to anyone in its service areas, is outdated. And, the increasing resources needed to maintain landline infrastructure used by a shrinking number of Californians, the utility contends, divert from investments in better, modern alternatives.<\/p>\n

RELATED: AT&T, blocked by California regulators from scrapping landlines, launches double-barreled appeal at federal level<\/p>\n

But, many who rely on copper-based landlines say the connection is still the only one they can depend on in areas that have spotty to no cellphone coverage. Storms and wildfires across the region have cut power and taken down cell and internet service with it, they note.<\/p>\n

The California Public Utilities Commission is actively working with AT&T and consumer advocates to modernize its rules governing the state\u2019s \u201ccarriers of last resort,\u201d of which AT&T is the largest, covering areas up and down the state. But meanwhile, in May, <\/b>the telecom company filed petitions with the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, and a federal lawsuit to preempt state requirements.<\/p>\n

While those salvos are still pending, there is mounting concern among customers and consumer advocates that existing landlines are being deprioritized, an assessment that AT&T rejects.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will continue to make repairs to copper-based services until we have regulatory approval to discontinue service and will help ensure customers are informed about the process and their options for better connectivity options,\u201d an AT&T spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

The Press Democrat asked readers who are local AT&T customers what they\u2019ve experienced and received well over 50 calls and emails.<\/p>\n

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A handful reported no problems with their landlines and satisfaction with service. Many others, however, reported a host of issues \u2014 rising prices, worsening call quality, outages that stretch for days or even weeks and months, hours on the phone with a string of customer service operators, missed repair appointments and mixed messages or no answers at all on the cause of damaged lines or the future of their service.<\/p>\n

Andrea Hadik-Barkoczy\u2019s landline at her home just north of Fort Bragg has been down since May 20. Several others in her area reported the same.<\/p>\n

Cell service along the jagged Mendocino Coast is always a gamble, so Hadik-Barkoczy and her husband have held tight to their landline. Over three weeks, they\u2019ve have called, emailed and filed complaints with utility regulators and even the state Attorney General\u2019s Office. Twice, no one showed for repair appointments.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like they\u2019ve abandoned the line,\u201d Hadik-Barkoczy said. \u201cWe feel abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n

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She regrets now not flagging down an AT&T technician she passed working a job in Fort Bragg some days back, a solution many attest is the best way to get help.<\/p>\n

Another customer, Suzanne White, read aloud detailed notes from a recent attempt to restore service at her home west of Graton. She made a first call Jan. 15, then another on Jan. 17. On Jan. 20, she intercepted a technician on her road who made some adjustments and told her what to say when calling back for more help.<\/p>\n

She spoke with someone Feb. 4 who said a repair person would come Feb. 9. More calls followed on the 9th and 10th. No one arrived for a Feb. 17 appointment before a technician showed on Feb. 19.<\/p>\n

White got a $41 credit on her bill, which has risen to $113 per month. \u201cIt\u2019s staggering, but I need a phone line, and I can\u2019t rely on my cell,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

As new technologies have spread, people have mostly moved away from landlines, which are now used by just 3% of AT&T\u2019s customers.<\/p>\n

Landline networks take much longer to repair than fiber and wireless technology, leading to longer disruptions, according to AT&T. Repeat copper theft has been a problem, causing 4,000 outages in California alone in 2025 at a cost of $50 million. Equipment that supports copper telecommunication lines is no longer being manufactured and is difficult to source, with the company resorting to purchasing from online resellers, a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

The company spends $1 billion annually in California \u201cto maintain a century-old telephone network that almost no one uses,\u201d AT&T\u2019s May legal complaint against the state said.<\/p>\n

AT&T made $23.4 billion in profit last year and returned $12 billion to shareholders.<\/p>\n

Doubling down<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In March, the FCC issued a ruling that state regulations can be preempted when in conflict with federal authorizations to discontinue landlines. The echoed assertions\u00a0that network modernization is hindered by the need to maintain aging legacy technology. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has expressed similar views.<\/p>\n

\u201cAT&T has taken that and run with it,\u201d said Regina Costa, telecommunications policy director for the Utility Reform Network, a consumer advocacy group.<\/p>\n

The company\u00a0filed its lawsuit May 20 against California\u2019s Public Utilities Commission and the state Attorney General in U.S. District Court for Southern California. It has also petitioned the FCC on a number of fronts to end landline service and essentially block California\u2019s \u201ccarrier of last resort\u201d rules.<\/p>\n

One of those petitions proposes ending landline service from 360 wire centers across the state, affecting roughly 200,000 residential and business customers after June 1, 2027, according to AT&T. The includes portions of Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Marin and especially Lake counties.<\/p>\n