The FCC’s phase-out of POTS lines is already underway: carriers are no longer required to maintain the copper wire network behind Plain Old Telephone Service or to lease it to competitors, and copper retirements are accelerating market by market. There is no single national shutoff date, but AT&T, the largest U.S. provider of copper lines, has publicly stated a goal of shutting down virtually all POTS lines by 2029. If you still have a copper landline serving a phone, fax machine, fire alarm, elevator, or security system, you need to plan the move to a digital replacement now rather than wait for a discontinuance notice.
Why the Phase-Out Is Happening
The FCC concluded that requiring carriers to keep aging copper networks running was discouraging investment in fiber and wireless alternatives. Copper is expensive to maintain, more vulnerable to weather damage and theft than fiber, and slower to repair after outages.1Federal Communications Commission. Tech Transitions: Network Upgrades That May Affect Your Service Through a series of forbearance orders, the FCC excused carriers from obligations under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, including the requirement to offer unbundled copper loops to competitors or resell legacy voice services at wholesale rates.2Federal Communications Commission. WC Docket No. 19 – Forbearance Order Without those obligations, carriers have little reason to keep the copper network running.
Where the Timeline Stands
The key regulatory milestone was August 2, 2022, when the transition period the FCC set in its 2019 forbearance order ended. After that date, carriers were no longer required to provide unbundled analog loops or avoided-cost resale services to competitors.2Federal Communications Commission. WC Docket No. 19 – Forbearance Order That deadline didn’t darken every copper line overnight, but it removed the regulatory floor that had kept copper economically viable.
In March 2025, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau waived the requirement that carriers file copper retirement notices with the Commission, replacing it with a simpler obligation to post planned changes on their own websites or through industry publications.3Federal Communications Commission. NCD Waiver Order – DA-25-252A1 The waiver runs for two years. In August 2025, the FCC proposed making that change permanent and also proposed removing the associated objection process that interconnected service providers had used to challenge copper retirements.4Federal Register. Reducing Barriers to Network Improvements and Service Changes A March 2026 FCC Report and Order moved forward with finalizing several of these streamlining measures.5Federal Communications Commission. March 5, 2026 FCC Fact Sheet – Network and Services
Retirements are speeding up. Carriers filed 19 emergency discontinuance applications in 2025 alone, roughly double the prior year. The practical picture: no nationwide cutoff, but a rolling shutdown, and the procedural barriers that once slowed it are largely gone.
How You’ll Learn Your Line Is Going Away
A carrier cannot simply switch off your copper service. Under Section 214(a) of the Communications Act, any carrier that wants to discontinue, reduce, or impair a telecommunications service must apply to the FCC for approval.1Federal Communications Commission. Tech Transitions: Network Upgrades That May Affect Your Service When it does, it has to notify every affected customer in writing and send a copy of the application to the state public utility commission and any federally recognized Tribal Nations with authority over affected Tribal lands.4Federal Register. Reducing Barriers to Network Improvements and Service Changes The FCC’s rules require at least 30 days’ notice before a planned service discontinuance, reduction, or impairment.
If you receive a notice and believe the discontinuance would leave you without adequate service, you can file an objection with the FCC. Objections must be filed no later than 15 days after the FCC releases its public notice of the proposed discontinuance.5Federal Communications Commission. March 5, 2026 FCC Fact Sheet – Network and Services You can file electronically through the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System using the docket number from the public notice. That window is tight. Waiting a week to think about it eats half your deadline.
There’s a separate track worth knowing about. Copper retirement notices, which cover changes to the underlying network rather than a full service discontinuance, follow a lighter process. Since the March 2025 waiver, carriers only have to post these notices on their websites or through industry publications. They do not have to file with the FCC or send them directly to you.3Federal Communications Commission. NCD Waiver Order – DA-25-252A1 So a carrier can retire the copper infrastructure and move you to fiber without triggering the full Section 214 process, as long as it keeps providing you voice service over the new medium. If you want early warning, check your carrier’s website periodically for network change disclosures covering your area.
What Can Replace Your Copper Line
Four technologies are doing the replacement work, and the right choice depends on what’s plugged into your line.
Voice Over Internet Protocol
VoIP sends your voice as digital data packets over a broadband connection instead of a dedicated copper wire. Most residential VoIP services work with your existing phones through a small adapter that plugs into your router. Call quality is generally comparable to copper, and the feature set is typically richer. The catch: VoIP depends on both your internet connection and your local power. If either goes down, so does your phone.
Fax machines need a specific warning. Standard VoIP uses audio compression optimized for human speech, and fax signals don’t survive that compression reliably. If you send faxes, confirm your VoIP provider supports the T.38 protocol, which was designed for real-time fax transmission over IP networks. Without T.38, expect frequent failed transmissions.
Fiber-Based Digital Voice
Many carriers replacing copper are running fiber directly to homes and businesses and delivering voice service over that fiber. Fiber voice is often bundled with broadband and television, is more reliable than copper in bad weather, and carries far more bandwidth. Like VoIP, it needs local power. The fiber itself doesn’t carry electricity the way copper did.
Fixed Wireless Access
Fixed wireless access uses a cellular signal (4G LTE or 5G) delivered through a receiver at your location. It’s the practical option where running fiber is too expensive or too slow, including rural areas, remote buildings, and single-line service to a fire alarm panel or elevator phone. Fixed wireless handles low-bandwidth applications well and is commonly used for security monitoring and fire alarm communication.
POTS Replacement Gateways
For equipment designed around a copper line, a POTS replacement gateway acts as a translator. The gateway connects to the existing analog equipment on one side and routes communication over a cellular or IP network on the other. This avoids replacing the alarm panel or elevator phone itself. Certification matters. Fire alarm communication equipment must be UL 864-listed and installed according to NFPA 72 (the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code), and any replacement pathway must demonstrate reliability equal to or better than the copper line it replaces.
Fire Alarms, Elevators, and Security Systems
This is the part of the transition that goes badly if handled carelessly. Fire alarm panels, elevator emergency phones, and monitored security systems were built around the assumption that a dedicated copper line would always be there. Replacing that line with the wrong technology can leave these systems non-functional or out of compliance with safety codes. The building owner, not the phone carrier, carries that liability.
Fire Alarm Systems
NFPA 72 requires that communication pathways for fire alarm monitoring meet specific survivability standards. For buildings that use relocation or partial evacuation during a fire, the pathway must meet Level 2 or Level 3 pathway survivability, meaning 2-hour fire-rated cable, enclosures, or equivalent protection. When switching from copper to a cellular or IP pathway, the new system must deliver the same signal integrity and reliability. A standard VoIP connection does not meet this standard on its own. Purpose-built cellular communicators with UL 864 listing are the typical compliant solution.
Elevator Emergency Phones
The ASME A17.1 safety code requires two-way voice communication in elevator cabs that connects to authorized personnel, not an automated answering system. If a call isn’t answered within 45 seconds, it must automatically redirect to an alternate location. Newer code editions also require video capability so responders can visually assess trapped passengers, including those who cannot speak or hear. Standard VoIP is generally not a code-compliant solution here. Compliant alternatives need at least 4 hours of battery backup for continuous talk time, the ability to trigger a phone line verification alarm, and automatic caller location identification including the specific elevator cab number.
Security and Medical Alert Systems
Monitored security panels and personal medical alert devices that dial out over a copper line will stop working once the copper is removed unless they are reconfigured or replaced. Many modern security panels accept a cellular communication module as an add-on. Medical alert systems that relied on a landline connection typically need a cellular model. Contact your monitoring provider before the copper line is disconnected, not after.
Backup Power on a Digital Line
Traditional copper carried its own electrical power from the central office, which is why an old corded phone worked during a blackout. Every digital replacement (VoIP, fiber voice, and fixed wireless) needs local power. When the electricity goes out, so does your phone unless you have battery backup.
The FCC recognized this as a safety issue and adopted rules requiring providers of non-line-powered residential voice services to offer subscribers at least one option for 8 hours of standby backup power, with a 24-hour backup option required to be available for purchase as of February 13, 2019.6Federal Communications Commission. 24 Hour Home Backup Power Requirement Providers were also required to disclose backup power limitations to every new subscriber at the point of sale and annually to existing subscribers, including warnings that voice service will be unavailable during outages without backup and that backup power for voice will not also power equipment like security systems or medical monitors.7Federal Communications Commission. Ensuring Continuity of 911 Communications (FCC 15-98A1) The FCC specified that posting this information on a website alone was not enough. Providers had to communicate with subscribers individually.
The disclosure requirements were set to sunset on September 1, 2025. The underlying obligation to offer backup power for sale remains in effect, but the mandatory annual notification has lapsed. Ask your provider directly about backup power options and pricing. Don’t wait for them to volunteer the information.
What Copper Now Costs You Compared to the Alternatives
Copper pricing has risen sharply as carriers push remaining customers off the network. Residential copper service now commonly runs $40 to $70 per month, while business lines often exceed $80. Some businesses have reported far larger increases as carriers add surcharges or reclassify service tiers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics price index for residential telephone service has climbed 48% since 2015, outpacing overall inflation during the same period.
Residential VoIP is generally cheaper, and business VoIP plans typically run $15 to $30 per user per month with a broader feature set than copper offered. For a small office of five, the monthly bill difference between maintaining copper and switching to VoIP can easily exceed $300. Upfront costs (adapters, possible hardware upgrades for alarm panels or elevator phones, installation) vary depending on how much legacy equipment you have, but the monthly savings usually recover those costs within the first year.
The financial trap is waiting. Carriers are raising copper rates precisely to make the math obvious, and the longer you stay, the more you pay in inflated fees while gaining nothing. If your carrier hasn’t announced a retirement date for your area yet, the pricing pressure alone may justify switching proactively.
How to Make the Switch
Start by inventorying every device on your copper line. The phone itself is obvious. Copper lines often also serve fax machines, postage meters, point-of-sale terminals, medical alert pendants, security alarm panels, elevator emergency phones, and gate or intercom systems. Missing even one device during the transition means discovering the gap at the worst possible moment: when the alarm triggers and can’t reach the monitoring center.
Once you have the list, match each device to the right replacement. Voice calls and fax can move to VoIP, with T.38 support for fax. Fire alarm panels and elevator phones almost always need a dedicated POTS replacement gateway with cellular communication rather than generic VoIP. Security systems may need a cellular communication module added to the existing panel, or a full panel replacement if the hardware is old.
Contact your current carrier and any prospective replacement provider to confirm compatibility. Some digital solutions require specialized adapters. Others require entirely new hardware. For life safety equipment, involve your alarm monitoring company and your local authority having jurisdiction (the fire marshal for alarm systems, the elevator inspector for elevator phones) before making changes. Code compliance is your responsibility as the building owner or manager. The phone carrier won’t verify it for you.
Schedule the cutover with overlap. Install and activate the new digital service while the copper line is still live, run both in parallel for a few days, and confirm that every device (especially fire alarms and elevator phones) communicates over the new path before canceling the copper. A phased rollout costs a few extra days of overlapping service but eliminates the risk of finding a problem after your only communication path is gone.
Emergency Calling on the New Line
One of the FCC’s conditions for approving a copper-to-digital transition is that the replacement service must comply with 911 regulations. Interconnected VoIP providers are required to meet E911 service requirements and support Next Generation 911 upon request from a 911 authority.5Federal Communications Commission. March 5, 2026 FCC Fact Sheet – Network and Services In practice, your VoIP provider must deliver your location information to the 911 dispatch center when you call. Confirm your registered service address with the provider after installation, and update it if you ever move the equipment.
If you’re upgrading a business phone system as part of the transition, two federal laws add requirements. Kari’s Law requires that any multi-line telephone system manufactured, sold, or installed after February 16, 2020 allow users to dial 911 directly, without dialing 9 or any other prefix first.8National 911 Program. Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’s Act Oct 2020 RAY BAUM’s Act requires these systems to provide a dispatchable location: the street address plus floor, suite, or room number.9Federal Register. Wireless E911 Location Accuracy Requirements Both apply to the new equipment.
Lifeline Discount Carries Over
If you receive the FCC’s Lifeline discount on your copper line, it moves with you to the digital replacement. Lifeline provides up to $9.25 per month on phone or broadband service for qualifying low-income households, with an enhanced discount of up to $34.25 per month for eligible subscribers living on Tribal lands.10Federal Communications Commission. Lifeline Support for Affordable Communications The discount applies to wireline or wireless service, so it transfers to the new provider. Contact that provider during the transition to make sure the benefit continues without a gap.