NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For many people, landlines disappeared years ago.
But for some Tennesseans, especially those living in rural areas or relying on older communications systems, a traditional landline is still an important connection to family, healthcare providers, businesses and emergency services.
That's why a Dickson County man reached out to NewsChannel 5 this week after learning AT&T is preparing to retire portions of its aging copper-based telephone network.
An AT&T filing with the Federal Communications Commission shows the company plans to begin discontinuing service from dozens of wire centers across Tennessee on or after Nov. 15, pending regulatory approval.
Several of those wire centers serve Middle Tennessee communities, including areas around Manchester, White Bluff, Hartsville and Eagleville.
What services could be affected?
While residential voice service is one concern, copper infrastructure is also used for some business and public-safety related systems.
Depending on the location and setup, copper lines can support services such as:
- Traditional landline phones
- Elevator emergency phones
- Fire alarm connections
- Some emergency call boxes and blue-light phones
The question customers keep asking
One thing that remains unclear is exactly when individual customers will be affected.
After hearing from the Dickson resident who said he had been told his service could be impacted beginning Nov. 15, NewsChannel 5's Hannah McDonald asked AT&T how customers can determine when changes will reach their specific address.
AT&T did not directly answer that question.
Instead, the company said it is working with affected customers and will notify them throughout the transition process.
Why is AT&T making this change?
AT&T says traditional copper-based telephone service has become increasingly difficult to maintain because of the age of the infrastructure, reliability issues and theft of copper lines.
The company says demand for traditional landlines has also dropped sharply. According to AT&T, orders for traditional landline service have fallen 96% since 2014, and fewer than 2% of eligible customers still use legacy copper voice technology.
Instead, AT&T says it wants customers to move to newer services that use broadband internet connections or wireless technology.
What should landline customers do now?
If you still rely on a traditional AT&T landline, you can:
- Watch for notices from AT&T about service changes.
- Contact AT&T if you are unsure whether your service uses older copper infrastructure.
- Ask what replacement options are available at your address.
- Consider whether critical devices, such as alarm systems, elevator phones or emergency call systems, rely on the landline connection.
For now, customers in affected areas can continue using their existing service while the transition process moves forward.
The biggest unanswered question remains the one many customers are asking: not whether the change is coming, but exactly when it will reach them.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at HannahCanHelp@NewsChannel5.com.
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