The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has rejected a bid by AT&T to no longer be the “carrier of last resort” for phone service in California. The ruling is a win for people who still use landlines.
Being a carrier of last resort requires the company to provide basic telephone service. That often means installing and maintaining old fashioned copper landlines for those who have nothing else, and the state’s biggest carrier of last resort is AT&T.
The company asked the CPUC to lift that requirement.
They argued landlines serve a dwindling number of customers, maintaining them is often unnecessary and it curtails investment in modern technologies.
“Continuing to upgrade, maintain and build out that network for only a very small customer base is very expensive,” said Tedi Vriheas, vice president of external relations for AT&T California. “So every dollar we continue to invest in the copper network prevents us from putting that money into advanced services like fiber and wireless.”
But the commission got thousands of complaints from older people and those in rural areas, where they say wireless and fiber optic technology is unreliable or expensive.
“Our vote to dismiss AT&T’s application made clear that we will protect customer access to basic telephone service – no matter where they live, income, or access to other forms of communication,” said Commissioner John Reynolds, who was assigned to the proceeding.
The commission said they will consider adapting their rules to evolving technology and market conditions.
