Who Will Provide Telecom Service When Copper Networks are Gone?

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2026 – The United States is in the midst of a transition from legacy copper telephone networks to modern fiber broadband infrastructure, but a labor union and an industry trade group diverged Wednesday over how that shift should be managed, and what regulatory framework should govern it.

Lynn Follansbee, vice president of strategic initiatives and partnerships at broadband trade group USTelecom,  framed the transition as an overdue modernization that consumers have already embraced, arguing that outdated regulations are the primary obstacle to completing it.

"The move from legacy networks to modern networks is what we refer to as network modernization," Follansbee said. "It's essentially bringing telecommunications into the 21st century by replacing all of the antiquated copper networks with fiber broadband networks that are capable of providing consumers with the latest innovative technologies."

Broadband Breakfast on February 25, 2026 – Legacy Networks in the Fiber Era

As fiber networks rapidly expand nationwide, the retirement of legacy copper infrastructure has emerged as a critical broadband policy debate, raising complex questions about service continuity, regulation, and the risk of leaving rural and low-income communities behind.

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