On 9/8/2026 2:42 PM, Ethan O'Toole wrote:
Unfortunately, this is not true anymore. In the current discontinuance application, Verizon plans to decommission copper even where there is no fiber or other reliable alternatives. In most of the areas that have FiOS, Verizon has already forced the copper customers onto fiber anyways.
Sounds like your friend is in for a rude awakening when he realizes nothing better is on the way. He's probably never going to get fiber and if I were him, I would submit opposition comments to the FCC ASAP (at least by Thursday, the deadline).
Ah. They just don't want the customers? Roll out too expensive?
Probably not profitable enough for them. Even if something is profitable for them, if it's not profitable enough, and a growth prospect, they're not interested. That's what separates them from the smaller phone companies. Verizon isn't unique. AT&T has already stated that in California, for instance, they have no plans to deploy fiber in most of their service territory. As in this case, they still want to eliminate copper and force people to rely on cellular service (if it works at all). Verizon and CenturyLink are also following suit.
I've always heard internally Verizon saw wireless as the future and landlines a dead thing.
Of course, wireless is cheaper for them to deploy, has no state oversight, fewer consumer protections, no obligations to serve everybody, no requirements to share physical plant with competitors, etc. They don't have your best interest in mind.
I am sure they get killed when it comes to taxes and fees and stuff for having the copper in the ground. Just like when they go under railroad tracks.
I doubt it. AT&T is still making a 32% profit off of copper POTS. Last year it was 43%. They are certainly charging their customers enough, the way they've kept raising rates to coerce people to dump the service. My service is over fiber unfortunately, and they milk me just as much as they do their copper customers, since it's still regulated service. But unlike copper, it doesn't work as well. The RBOCs have a disdain for regulated voice service, state oversight, and the obligation to serve everybody as a utility. That's really what it comes down to.
I remember when FiOS originally came to my market (Southeastern Virginia) there was a lot of drama. Some of the people running the contractors went to prison for using illegal labor, while they said Verizon basically pushed them to do so. Funding wasn't enough to hire legally. They never came to my city at the time, I believe the city council people were given Cox stock to keep Verizon out or something crazy.
Doesn't surprise me. Verizon, AT&T, etc. would do anything to boost their profits further, even if that meant doing business with the devil.