Copper Retirement
Tracker
Where AT&T, Lumen, Frontier, Windstream, and Consolidated are retiring copper — state by state, with FCC Section 214 grant status where a shut-off has actually been authorized. This snapshot reflects program status, not filed per-address dates; wire-center-level dates are the next data release. Compiled from federal filings and carrier statements. Free to cite with attribution.
The map uses a separate wire-center dataset; the JSON and embed use carrier-state program records. Neither confirms impact at a street address.
What this tracker covers
- Carrier-state snapshot: 45 program records across 5 carriers, as of 2026-07-10. The downloadable JSON and partner embed share this scope.
- Approved filing feed: 4 linked records, published 2026-08-27. Applications and FCC public notices are labeled separately; neither is automatically a grant.
- Wire-center map: a separate dataset with 3,518 wire centers across 46 states. Its public snapshot does not include an as-of timestamp. These are not 3,518 confirmed customer disconnections.
Freshness: the program review has a quarterly target; approved filings can be published between reviews. A last successful detector-scan timestamp is not published, so we cannot certify daily scan freshness here. Scope and date labels reviewed September 6, 2026; that review did not refresh the July program records or grant overlay.
A filing date, grant date, proposed service-discontinuance date, and confirmed impact at your address answer different questions. Check the linked source and ask the carrier about your specific lines. Read the methodology and limits.
Review my copper notice
Share the notice, affected locations and what each line serves. A human broker reviews the next steps; your carrier confirms the actual service deadline.
Holding an AT&T notice?
Decode the letter and check its wire-center exhibit. If the line serves a fire panel or elevator, start with the monitoring company and contractor. Then Review my copper notice for a human review.
What is copper retirement?
Copper retirement is the carrier-by-carrier decommissioning of the legacy copper telephone network — the physical lines behind POTS service, analog alarm and elevator circuits, fax lines, and older DSL. As of June 2025 the US had 15.0 million POTS lines still in service, per the FCC's voice services data, and copper last-mile subscriptions fell 81% between 2014 and 2024. Carriers are replacing copper with fiber and wireless, and in March 2026 the FCC removed most of the federal process that used to slow retirements down. For a business, the practical question is not whether copper goes away — it is whether you replace it on your schedule or on your carrier's.
The numbers that matter
>30%
of AT&T wire centers approved for POTS discontinuance outside California, as of Jan 2026
Source: FCC WC 25-228 / 25-335
State-by-state program status
| State | Carrier | Program status | FCC Section 214 status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen AL copper exit | — |
| Arkansas | AT&T | AT&T Arkansas copper retirement ongoing | Granted — shut-off authorized on/after Jun 30, 2026 (WC 25-228); further areas on/after Nov 15, 2026 (WC 25-335) |
| Arkansas | Windstream | Windstream AR rural copper retirement | — |
| California | AT&T | AT&T California NID-to-fiber program active | Granted Jun 29, 2026 — shut-off on/after Jun 1, 2027 in portions of 360 wire centers (WC 26-120) |
| California | Frontier | Frontier CA copper retirement active | — |
| Colorado | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen CO mass-market copper exit | Granted Jun 20, 2025 — six Colorado locations (WC 25-177), the first grant citing mobile wireless as the replacement service |
| Connecticut | Frontier | Frontier CT copper-to-fiber active — high priority | — |
| Florida | AT&T | AT&T Florida copper retirement ongoing | Granted — shut-off authorized on/after Jun 30, 2026 (WC 25-228); further areas on/after Nov 15, 2026 (WC 25-335) |
| Florida | Frontier | Frontier FL copper retirement | — |
| Georgia | AT&T | AT&T Georgia copper retirement ongoing | Granted — shut-off authorized on/after Jun 30, 2026 (WC 25-228); further areas on/after Nov 15, 2026 (WC 25-335) |
| Georgia | Windstream | Windstream GA rural copper retirement | — |
| Idaho | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen ID copper exit | — |
| Illinois | AT&T | AT&T Illinois copper retirement program active | Program active — no granted Section 214 application in the 2025–26 tranches |
| Indiana | AT&T | AT&T Indiana copper retirement ongoing | Granted — shut-off authorized on/after Jun 30, 2026 (WC 25-228); further areas on/after Nov 15, 2026 (WC 25-335) |
| Iowa | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen IA copper exit | Granted Apr 9, 2026 — Laurens and Renwick wire centers (WC 26-55) |
| Kansas | AT&T | AT&T Kansas copper retirement ongoing | Granted — shut-off authorized on/after Nov 15, 2026 (WC 25-335) |
| Kentucky | Windstream | Windstream KY rural copper retirement | — |
| Louisiana | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen LA copper exit | — |
| Maine | Consolidated Communications | Consolidated ME copper retirement | Jul 2025 filing covers legacy voice at 45,000+ locations across ME, NH, VT |
| Michigan | AT&T | AT&T Michigan copper retirement ongoing | Granted — shut-off authorized on/after Jun 30, 2026 (WC 25-228); further areas on/after Nov 15, 2026 (WC 25-335) |
| Minnesota | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen MN copper exit | — |
| Missouri | AT&T | AT&T Missouri copper retirement ongoing | Granted — shut-off authorized on/after Jun 30, 2026 (WC 25-228); further areas on/after Nov 15, 2026 (WC 25-335) |
| Montana | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen MT copper exit | — |
| Nebraska | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen NE copper exit | — |
| Nevada | AT&T | AT&T Nevada copper retirement ongoing | Program active — no granted Section 214 application in the 2025–26 tranches |
| New Hampshire | Consolidated Communications | Consolidated NH copper-to-fiber migration | Jul 2025 filing covers legacy voice at 45,000+ locations across ME, NH, VT |
| New Mexico | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen NM copper exit | — |
| New York | Frontier | Frontier NY copper retirement | — |
| North Carolina | Windstream | Windstream NC rural copper retirement | — |
| North Dakota | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen ND copper exit | — |
| Ohio | AT&T | AT&T Ohio copper retirement ongoing | Granted — shut-off authorized on/after Jun 30, 2026 (WC 25-228); further areas on/after Nov 15, 2026 (WC 25-335) |
| Ohio | Frontier | Frontier OH copper retirement | — |
| Oklahoma | AT&T | AT&T Oklahoma copper retirement ongoing | Granted — shut-off authorized on/after Jun 30, 2026 (WC 25-228); further areas on/after Nov 15, 2026 (WC 25-335) |
| Oregon | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen OR copper exit | — |
| Pennsylvania | Frontier | Frontier PA copper retirement | — |
| South Carolina | Windstream | Windstream SC rural copper retirement | — |
| South Dakota | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen SD copper exit | — |
| Tennessee | AT&T | AT&T Tennessee copper retirement ongoing | Granted — shut-off authorized on/after Jun 30, 2026 (WC 25-228); further areas on/after Nov 15, 2026 (WC 25-335) |
| Texas | AT&T | AT&T Texas copper retirement ongoing — multiple WCs filed | Granted — shut-off authorized on/after Jun 30, 2026 (WC 25-228); further areas on/after Nov 15, 2026 (WC 25-335) |
| Texas | Frontier | Frontier TX legacy copper retirement | — |
| Vermont | Consolidated Communications | Consolidated VT copper-to-fiber migration | Jul 2025 filing covers legacy voice at 45,000+ locations across ME, NH, VT |
| Washington | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen WA copper exit | — |
| West Virginia | Frontier | Frontier WV copper retirement | — |
| Wisconsin | AT&T | AT&T Wisconsin copper retirement ongoing | Granted — shut-off authorized on/after Jun 30, 2026 (WC 25-228); further areas on/after Nov 15, 2026 (WC 25-335) |
| Wyoming | Lumen (CenturyLink) | Lumen WY copper exit | — |
Latest FCC filings on the record
Discontinuance filings from the FCC record, surfaced by CHNLSYNC’s retirement-watch detector and approved by a human reviewer before appearing here. Each row links its primary source. As of 2026-08-27.
| Filed | Filing | Filer | Docket | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-12 | FCC public notice | Wireline Competition Bureau | WC 25-333 | FCC record |
| 2025-12-01 | Section 214/63.71 discontinuance application | AT&T Services, Inc. | WC 25-333 | FCC record |
| 2025-07-25 | FCC public notice | Wireline Competition Bureau | WC 25-228 | FCC record |
| 2025-07-15 | Section 214/63.71 discontinuance application | AT&T Services, Inc. | WC 25-228 | FCC record |
Carrier program notes
AT&T holds the largest approved footprint. The FCC granted its first tranche in August 2025 (WC 25-228: POTS in portions of wire centers across 17 states, shut-off authorized on or after June 30, 2026) and a second in January 2026 (WC 25-335: 18 states including Kansas, on or after November 15, 2026; FCC notice DA 25-1043). Beyond the states in the table above, those grants also cover Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. California was granted separately in June 2026 (WC 26-120: portions of 360 wire centers, on or after June 1, 2027). AT&T's stated goal, per its Form 10-K, is to exit copper across the large majority of its footprint by the end of 2029.
Lumen (CenturyLink) runs a steady sequence of small, wire-center-level discontinuances. Its June 2025 Colorado grant was the first to cite mobile wireless service as the adequate replacement, and further filings continued through 2026. Frontier became a Verizon company in January 2026 and continues targeted filings rather than a wholesale exit pledge. Verizon itself received grants in June 2026 covering legacy voice-grade services across nine eastern states; those territories join this tracker at the next data refresh. Windstream shows targeted legacy-service discontinuances with no announced wholesale copper exit. Consolidated Communications filed in July 2025 to discontinue legacy voice at more than 45,000 locations across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
The rules changed in March 2026
On March 26, 2026 the FCC adopted FCC 26-19, which eliminated the federal filing, public-notice, and objection process for copper retirements. Carriers now publish notice themselves and must directly notify interconnecting carriers and 911 entities at least 90 days before retiring copper. The order also grants blanket authority to grandfather legacy voice services, applies a 31-day auto-grant to discontinuance applications, and preempts conflicting state requirements. Most provisions took effect May 20, 2026. The practical effect for buyers: less formal warning than before. The letter from your carrier may be the first and only signal, and the clock it starts is the carrier's, not the FCC's.
Common questions
My state says no program record. Does that mean copper is staying?
No program record means this carrier-state pair has no record in this published program dataset. It does not confirm that copper or DSL service is staying, or that an address is unaffected. The program table, approved filings and map have separate scopes and dates. Check your carrier notice and ask the carrier to confirm the affected service, address and timing. A letter about your service takes priority over an absent record in this tracker.
What is copper retirement?
Copper retirement is the decommissioning of legacy copper telephone networks — the wiring behind POTS lines, analog circuits, and older DSL. Carriers are replacing copper with fiber and wireless because the old network is expensive to maintain and shrinking fast: 15.0 million POTS lines remained in the US as of June 2025, down 81% on copper last-mile subscriptions since 2014. When a carrier retires copper in your area, anything running on those lines must move.
How much notice will my business get before copper is retired?
Less than before. In March 2026 the FCC eliminated its filing, public-notice, and objection process for copper retirements (order FCC 26-19). Carriers now post notice themselves and must directly notify interconnecting carriers and 911 entities at least 90 days ahead — but there is no fixed federal warning period for end customers. Treat the letter from your carrier as the clock. It may be the only formal signal you receive.
Do I have to move off POTS lines?
Eventually, yes. The FCC now grants carriers blanket authority to grandfather legacy voice services and a 31-day auto-grant applies to discontinuance applications, so the direction is one-way. Grandfathering can delay the shut-off for existing lines, but it does not reverse it. Businesses that plan the replacement before a deadline forces it keep leverage on price, timing, and technology choice.
Our fire alarm panel uses a phone line. What are the rules for replacing it?
Fire alarm communication is governed by NFPA 72. Since the 2013 edition, a dialer may use one phone line plus a second transmission path of a different technology, and cellular or IP communicators are permitted — including as a single supervised path under recent editions. The edition your local authority enforces governs. Swapping a POTS line for VoIP without upgrading the communicator can silently put the system out of compliance.
What about elevator emergency phones?
Elevator communication is governed by ASME A17.1, which requires monitored two-way communication from the car to a location staffed around the clock. The 2019 and later editions add two-way messaging and video assessment requirements. A copper line is not required — cellular replacements are acceptable if the path is monitored, powered, and meets the edition your jurisdiction enforces. Coordinate the elevator vendor and the line replacement together.
Why did our POTS bill jump?
Legacy line pricing was deregulated, and carriers price copper to push migration. Industry estimates put typical business POTS at $65–$100 or more per line per month in 2026, with documented escalations running to several hundred dollars per line. Government price data points the same direction: the consumer price index for residential phone service has outpaced overall inflation by a wide margin since 2015.
What does CHNLSYNC’s help cost?
CHNLSYNC charges no buyer advisory fee for its supplier-paid brokerage service. You still pay the supplier for technology services; installation, equipment and separately scoped third-party work may cost extra. Ask for the full quoted scope and CHNLSYNC’s compensation explanation before choosing. A human broker reviews supplier recommendations.
Change log
- Added detailed program status and FCC Section 214 status to the existing v1 JSON feed. Corrected the AT&T November 15, 2026 POTS wave to WC 25-335 (DA 25-1043); the WC 25-333 filings below concern Remote Call Forwarding / TeleBranch. Program snapshot and filing dates are unchanged.
- Explained no-program-record coverage and clarified brokerage fees. Program, filing and map source dates are unchanged.
- Clarified program, filing, embed, and map scopes; removed the unverified daily-monitoring promise. Source records retain their existing dates.
- Latest FCC filings module refreshed from the retirement-watch detector: 4 approved filing(s) on the record (4 new), each linked to its FCC primary source.
- Added a downloadable Exhibit 1 extract for one filing: AT&T §63.71 application dated 2025-12-01 (Florida PSC Document 15393-2025). 1,060 wire-center names and codes, 18 states. Scanned-PDF extract, not a certified CLLI database, not address-level, not the wire-center-level dated records described on the methodology page.
- Tracker launched: 45 carrier-state program records across 5 carriers, with an FCC Section 214 grant overlay for AT&T (WC 25-228, WC 25-333, WC 26-120), Lumen, and Consolidated.
- FCC auto-granted AT&T’s California application (WC 26-120): portions of 360 wire centers, shut-off authorized on or after Jun 1, 2027. AT&T’s petition to preempt California COLR rules remains pending.
- FCC granted Verizon applications to discontinue legacy voice-grade and data services across nine eastern states (DA 26-436). Verizon and legacy-Frontier territories join the tracker at the next data refresh.
- Core provisions of FCC 26-19 took effect: the federal copper-retirement filing, public-notice, and objection process is eliminated; carriers self-publish notices.
Use this data
The dataset behind this page is downloadable as JSON and licensed CC BY 4.0 — cite "CHNLSYNC Copper Retirement Tracker" with a link to this page. Methodology, sources, and known limits are documented on the methodology page. Corrections are welcome: if you have a filing we missed, tell us and we will verify it against the FCC record.
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Tell us what runs on those lines. A human broker reviews supplier recommendations. CHNLSYNC charges no buyer advisory fee for its supplier-paid brokerage service; supplier and third-party charges still apply.