AT&T Sues California Over Copper Landline Mandate

May 21, 2026 – A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday seeks to end a state requirement forcing a major carrier to offer traditional copper-wire telephone service to new customers statewide.

AT&T, which filed the suit in federal court in Southern California, against the California Public Utilities Commission and California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The company argues it spends roughly $1 billion annually maintaining a copper network that now serves only 3 percent of households in its California service territory.

AT&T said it plans to invest $19 billion in California and connect more than 4 million additional homes and businesses by 2030 through modern internet protocol-based communications networks, which it described as more reliable and efficient than legacy copper infrastructure.