‘How Do We Call for Help?’ Rural Residents Push Back on FCC’s Copper Retirement

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2025 – When flames reached the edge of her property last fall, Alison Denning’s cell phone stopped working. Her copper landline didn’t, and it may have saved her life. 

Denning was one of nearly two hundred Americans who filed personal stories with the Federal Communications Commission this week, urging regulators not to allow carriers to shut off traditional landline service. Many said they depend on copper connections during emergencies, power outages, or because they cannot safely use wireless technology.

The comments come as the FCC weighs a proposal to overhaul its rules on copper retirement. In a July rulemaking, the Commission suggested eliminating the agency’s filing requirements for network changes and for grandfathering legacy services to speed service discontinuance.