AT&T Sues California Over Mandated Copper Landline Service

AT&T has filed a lawsuit against California officials seeking to be released from a state mandate that requires it to maintain traditional copper landline telephone service for customers. The legal action, filed in U.S. District Court in southern California, names the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the state’s attorney general as defendants.

The telecommunications giant argues that the century-old network serves only about 3 percent of households in its California territory, yet costs approximately $1 billion annually to maintain. The company contends the outdated system is an easy target for criminals, citing about 2,000 outages from copper thefts already this year, and drains significant energy from the power grid. AT&T asserts that a March order from the Federal Communications Commission, which facilitates the retirement of aging copper networks, should take precedence over conflicting state rules.

As part of its legal filing, AT&T pledged to invest $19 billion in California through 2030 to modernize the state’s telecommunications infrastructure. The plan includes expanding its fiber-optic network to more than 4 million additional households and businesses...