San Mateo County raises concerns over AT&T landlines

AT&T submitted an application to the California Public Utilities Commission last year, requesting permission to remove its twisted pair, or copper landline, service altogether, as a dwindling customer base no longer covers the cost to maintain the technology, and customers mostly opt for fiber or wireless-based services instead. The move has drawn scrutiny from numerous elected leaders and residents, particularly those who live in areas that often experience power outages and use the landlines to contact emergency services when internet or cell service is unavailable.

Supervisor Ray Mueller, who represents much of the county’s coastal and rural communities, has raised concerns over the impact for residents if CPUC grants AT&T’s requests. He led the discussion at the meeting and asked Vriheas several questions to address concerns raised by residents.

“Today, in 2024, because of business decisions, a short distance from the heart of Silicon Valley we have residents who are living without access to reliable communications other than copper landlines,” Mueller said. 

Currently, AT&T must operate the landline network under what’s known as a carrier of last resort obligation, which requires at least one telephone company to provide landline telephone service to residents in a particular location and, because of its historically monopolistic status, the firm has been the default provider for years. The company stated in its letter to the commission that the market is now rife with competition, and the mandate to upkeep a costly system places an unfair burden on the firm.

Vriheas said it was important for residents to understand that if there is no alternative to adequate communication in a household AT&T will not “just turn off a customer and walk away.”

“This wasn’t explained in the letter, and we recognize that,” Vriheas said. “If you have a landline today in your house and it is the only means of communication … you will keep that landline in your home.”

One major area of concern raised was that there is not a written process that explains how AT&T will reach the determination whether it believes a person has alternative methods to communicate other than the AT&T copper wire landline. 

“That is a process that will be worked on through this CPUC application process,” Vriheas said. “It is a multiyear process and we are just at the beginning stages.”

Supervisor Noelia Cruz said she has heard concern over what this decision could mean for residents who are hard of hearing who use helpful services currently tied to the copper landlines. Vriheas said AT&T was currently working on technology to address needs for residents in the particular areas of the coast that might have limited wireless reception. 

“One of the standards that we have is that whatever the transition product is, or service is, will be equal to, or better than, what a customer has today on their landline service,” Vriheas said.

Maintaining the copper wire landlines, she said, ultimately takes away from further progress of communication quality alongside the coast. 

“Money that we put into a copper network is money that isn’t going into wireless to surf the coast, it’s not going into bringing fiber further down the coast,” Vriheas said.

Mueller said he does not believe there is still a need to file a subpoena for further information from AT&T but requested that the board direct the county attorney to bring back a resolution on behalf of this board opposing the application.

The board unanimously agreed to do so at a future meeting.

Santa Cruz County voted on a similar resolution in opposition last month. Inyo and Trinity counties have made similar declarations as well.

The CPUC is currently accepting public comment on its website and at public meetings, the next and final one in person being 2-6 p.m. March 14, at 100 Civic Center Mall, Indio.