ATHENS, Ohio — Area residents who rely on copper-based landlines for phone service will not be disconnected this week, according to a representative from Verizon.
Frontier Communications, which Verizon acquired earlier this year, sent residents a letter in August about the company’s push to end support for landlines.
“As part of our ongoing network improvements, we are planning to discontinue traditional copper-based home phone service in your area,” according to a Frontier letter dated Aug. 7.
The letter stated that Frontier would “have the authority” to end the landline service “on or after October 23.” But Verizon, the phone provider’s parent company, told the Independent that Athens residents would not lose phone service this Friday.
“I want to reassure people that nobody is being disconnected on that date,” said Diana Alvear, an associate director at Verizon.
In August, Verizon filed a request to the FCC to “discontinue legacy voice telephone service,” according to a filing shared with the Independent by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. That request is still pending approval.
In October, Verizon told the FCC that customers without an “adequate replacement option” would not be disconnected “at this time.”
“If customers do not have a viable alternative to copper landline service, they will keep their copper landline service,” Alvear said.
Doug Brooks, who lives on Wallbrown Road, told the Independent that copper-based landlines are the only way that he — and at least one neighbor — can call 911.
“Service out here is not exactly what we would call reliable,” Brooks said. “My cell phone does not work here, and the only internet I get is from satellite.”
Brooks said that the landlines in his area are “getting decrepit” and that bad weather often knocks his service. Following a summer rainstorm this year, he said his line “was just covered in static.” Concerned about losing coverage after receiving Frontier’s letter in August, he reached out to the FCC and local officials about his concerns.
“I’m very concerned about residents losing their copper lines,” Athens County Commissioner Chris Chmiel said via text to the Independent. He hopes that the FCC will not approve Verizon’s discontinuation plans.
“This isn’t just affecting Athens County, but all rural areas,” Chmiel stated.
Not just Athens County
Ohio is one of several states — including Arizona, Utah and Virginia — where Verizon wants to end service for copper landlines. Alvear told the Independent that less than 3% of Verizon customers nationwide rely on landlines to make calls.
If the FCC approves the plan, Verizon will assess customers’ options for phone service and then contact them with additional information, a process Alvear said would take several months. She added that some customers will be able to call a hotline to discuss options.
In his interview with the Independent, Brooks said he was unsure how Verizon would determine how many customers like him relied entirely on copper landlines for phone service. He said he could not determine how many other people in Athens were similarly affected.
Alvear noted that some customers may need to eventually switch their phone service to a third party. The company’s October filing claims that discontinuing copper landline service will “reduce inefficient energy consumption” and make copper available “for more valuable purposes.”
In a statement to the Independent, Verizon stressed that customers would not lose phone service entirely.
“As we transition from legacy copper to modern networks, we are committed to ensuring that no customer is left behind,” Verizon’s Oct. 20 statement said.
