U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer is pressing Verizon for assurances that New Yorkers who rely on copper landlines will not lose reliable phone service or face higher costs as the company proposes a shift to other technologies. The question is especially consequential for rural households with weak cellular coverage and for people who depend on a landline during power outages.
In an Oct. 13 letter to Verizon, Schumer asked the company to explain how it would evaluate replacement service at each address, protect access to 911 and tell customers what the transition would cost. He also urged the Federal Communications Commission to extend its review of an application affecting New York so customers can be informed before a decision is made.
Verizon has filed two applications seeking permission to discontinue legacy plain old telephone service delivered over copper. Schumer said a Sept. 9 application covers portions of nine states, including New York, and the District of Columbia. The application is pending; it does not mean copper service has already been discontinued for every affected customer.
The company is moving toward alternatives including fiber, fixed wireless, cellular wireless and satellite service, according to Schumer's release. Some customers have received notices, but the senator said those notices have left questions about price, equipment and whether the alternatives will work at their homes or businesses.
Reliability in rural areas
Traditional copper lines can continue working during some household power outages because the network supplies power to the line. Replacement systems may require backup batteries or a working internet or wireless connection, depending on the technology used. Schumer asked how Verizon would test indoor signal strength, account for outages and congestion, and determine whether a proposed replacement can reliably connect a customer to emergency services.
He also asked whether Verizon would physically test service at a customer's premises or rely on coverage maps and databases. That distinction matters in rural communities where a mapped signal may not translate into usable service inside a home. Schumer wants customers to know how they can challenge a company's finding that a replacement is adequate, and whether copper service would remain connected while a dispute is pending.
The letter asks how long replacement equipment and its battery backup would work during an extended outage, what restoration time Verizon would promise if it fails, and whether it would withstand severe weather or a surge of simultaneous 911 calls. Schumer said seniors, residents with disabilities and households on fixed incomes need clear, direct outreach about those issues.
Costs and connected devices
Schumer asked Verizon to identify the full customer cost of replacement service, including equipment, installation, activation, wiring, backup power, taxes, fees and any bundle requirements. He also asked the company to guarantee that customers would not pay more than they do for their current landline, and to say how long any price commitment would last.
The transition could affect devices beyond household phones. The letter asks whether alternatives would work with medical alerts, fire alarms, elevator emergency phones, security systems, fax machines and other equipment connected to copper lines. Local fire inspectors have raised concerns about small businesses and restaurants that use copper for alarm dialers, Schumer said; converting those systems could cost some businesses thousands of dollars.
The Communications Workers of America has opposed a recent FCC network-modernization order that removed certain oversight requirements, according to the senator's release. The union and other critics say reduced oversight could leave gaps in emergency access and reliability. Those concerns are part of the policy debate, not a finding that Verizon's proposed replacements have failed.
Schumer requested a written response from Verizon on customer testing, notice, appeal rights, continuity of service and pricing. The release did not include a response from the company or a final FCC decision on the New York application.
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