BCN Industry Tracker

POTS & Copper Retirement Tracker

State-level status of carrier copper and POTS retirement programs, FCC filings, deadlines, and affected business systems.

Data updated

Current, next update September 4, 2026

2

States with confirmed, documented FCC filings

274K+

Customer locations covered by confirmed filings so far

49

States with an active carrier retirement footprint

90 days

FCC minimum customer notice window before disconnection

Copper retirement status by state. The same information is in the table below. Alabama: Active: AT&T footprint Alaska: No confirmed program tracked Arizona: Active: Lumen footprint Colorado: Active: Lumen footprint Florida: Confirmed: filings underway Georgia: Active: AT&T footprint Indiana: Active: AT&T footprint Kansas: Active: AT&T footprint Maine: Active: Fidium footprint Massachusetts: Active: Verizon footprint Minnesota: Active: Lumen footprint New Jersey: Active: Verizon footprint North Carolina: Active: AT&T footprint North Dakota: Active: Lumen footprint Oklahoma: Active: AT&T footprint Pennsylvania: Active: Verizon footprint South Dakota: Active: Lumen footprint Texas: Active: AT&T footprint Wyoming: Active: Lumen footprint Connecticut: Active: Verizon footprint Missouri: Active: AT&T footprint West Virginia: Active: Verizon footprint Illinois: Active: AT&T footprint New Mexico: Active: Lumen footprint Arkansas: Active: AT&T footprint California: Confirmed: FCC approved Delaware: Active: Verizon footprint Hawaii: No confirmed program tracked Iowa: Active: Lumen footprint Kentucky: Active: AT&T footprint Maryland: Active: Verizon footprint Michigan: Active: AT&T footprint Mississippi: Active: AT&T footprint Montana: Active: Lumen footprint New Hampshire: Active: Fidium footprint New York: Active: Verizon footprint Ohio: Active: AT&T footprint Oregon: Active: Lumen footprint Tennessee: Active: AT&T footprint Utah: Active: Lumen footprint Virginia: Active: Verizon footprint Washington: Active: Lumen footprint Wisconsin: Active: AT&T footprint Nebraska: Active: Lumen footprint South Carolina: Active: AT&T footprint Idaho: Active: Lumen footprint Nevada: Active: AT&T footprint Vermont: Active: Fidium footprint Louisiana: Active: AT&T footprint Rhode Island: Active: Verizon footprint Washington, D.C.: Active: Verizon footprint DC
  • Confirmed FCC filing or approval
  • AT&T footprint
  • Lumen (CenturyLink) footprint
  • Verizon footprint
  • Fidium (Consolidated Communications) footprint
  • No confirmed program

Select any state for carrier status, deadlines, and affected systems.

Delaware

Active: Verizon footprint

Carrier
Verizon
Status
Part of Verizon's Northeast/Mid-Atlantic ILEC territory. Verizon has used the FCC's 2026 streamlined waivers to accelerate copper discontinuance filings in select markets here.
Key deadline
Filings ongoing, market-by-market
Alternative service offered
Verizon Fios, wireless
Most affected businesses
Businesses on remaining copper in urban/suburban exchanges not yet converted to Fios.

Sources

Status by state

Showing 14 states matching Lumen. Show all states

Copper retirement status for every US state and the District of Columbia.
State Status Carrier Key deadline
Arizona Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Colorado Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Idaho Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Iowa Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Minnesota Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Montana Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Nebraska Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
New Mexico Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
North Dakota Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Oregon Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
South Dakota Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Utah Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Washington Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Wyoming Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029

Key national deadlines

  1. Done

    FCC cuts the required copper-retirement customer notice period from 180 days to 90 days.

  2. Done

    Lumen stops accepting new & move/add/change POTS orders across its 14-state legacy CenturyLink/Qwest territory.

  3. Done

    AT&T stops accepting new copper POTS orders across ~20 states in its ILEC footprint.

  4. Done

    AT&T files FCC discontinuance application covering ~90,000 customers across 18 states.

  5. Done

    FCC grants AT&T's 18-state application, over 30% of its copper footprint outside California.

  6. Done

    FCC adopts the Network and Services Modernization Order (FCC-26-19A1), streamlining Section 214 nationwide.

  7. Done

    AT&T begins physically decommissioning ~500 wire centers (~10% of its footprint).

  8. Done

    FCC approves AT&T's California discontinuance application covering 184,000+ locations.

  9. Upcoming

    Deadline: permanent copper discontinuance for ~90,000 AT&T customers across 18 states.

  10. Upcoming

    Earliest date AT&T can begin discontinuing California copper service (184,000 locations).

  11. Upcoming

    AT&T's target to retire the large majority of its copper footprint outside California.

Latest coverage from carriers and the FCC