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More than two dozen Californian congressional members, including Reps. Doris Matsui and James Gallagher, are urging the Federal Communications Commission to stop AT&T’s plan to discontinue landline services in the state.
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The lawmakers signed a letter Wednesday to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr that said AT&T’s proposal would hurt about 200,000 households reliant on such services during natural disasters. The letter is the latest development in AT&T’s ongoing and yearslong push to end its landline business.
“We urge the commission to deny AT&T’s various applications because the negative consequences for the public far outweigh any benefits, and the proposed replacement is wholly inadequate,” the lawmakers wrote.
AT&T has said it plans to withdraw landline service — delivered via copper wires — from 184,000 California households by June 2027. The number of Sacramento-region households at risk of being affected is unknown.
Last month, the FCC approved a petition by the company to end the service over objections from California utility regulators, many residents and Attorney General Rob Bonta. Earlier this month, Republican candidate for governor Steve Hilton also sent a letter to Carr saying he opposed the move and claimed it was driven by “Washington bureaucrats”
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“I understand you may not have been personally involved in this particular decision,” Hilton wrote. “But as chairman of the FCC, you have the authority and responsibility to correct it.”
Opponents of AT&T’s efforts argue that the company’s proposed replacement system lacks the resilience of traditional copper networks during natural emergencies like fires, storms and earthquakes.
Last week, a federal judge denied AT&T’s request for a preliminary injunction to temporarily stop state regulators from requiring the company to provide basic telephone services while a court case is decided. Other applications that are crucial to whether AT&T can implement the plan are still pending before the FCC.
Among the Northern California region House members that signed the letter were Mike Thompson, Jared Huffman and John Garamendi. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff also signed.
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