California Asks Court to Toss AT&T’s Copper Retirement Suit
State regulators say AT&T’s federal preemption claim lacks merit.
WASHINGTON, July 31, 2026 – California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and state regulators filed a motion Thursday to dismiss AT&T’s lawsuit challenging the state’s rules that require it to provide basic telephone service.
The motion, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, is the latest turn in a fight that has been building since AT&T sued the California Public Utilities Commission and Bonta in May, after asking federal regulators to find that federal law preempts the state’s carrier of last resort, or COLR, rules.
