Verizon says it won't rip out copper phone lines until something else actually works.
Verizon told the Federal Communications Commission it won't decommission aging copper landlines unless a Commission-approved replacement is actually in place. The commitment responds to concerns from customers who lack dependable cell service and would be stranded if their copper lines went dark. Carriers have spent years pushing to retire the old copper network in favor of fiber and wireless, arguing it's costly to maintain decades-old equipment. Verizon's filing frames the timeline as conditional: copper stays until a working substitute exists, not until some fixed deadline passes.
That distinction matters most in rural and low-signal areas, where cell towers are sparser and copper landlines are sometimes the only reliable link to 911. It also shifts responsibility back to the FCC to actually approve alternatives, rather than letting carriers self-certify that a replacement is ready.
Carriers have made similar assurances before past landline retirements went badly for customers, so whether this promise holds will depend on how strictly the FCC defines a "working alternative."