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 5, 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: Application pending at the FCC Alaska: No confirmed program tracked Arizona: Active: Lumen footprint Colorado: Active: Lumen footprint Florida: Confirmed: filings underway Georgia: Application pending at the FCC Indiana: Application pending at the FCC Kansas: Application pending at the FCC Maine: Active: Fidium footprint Massachusetts: Active: Verizon footprint Minnesota: Active: Lumen footprint New Jersey: Application pending at the FCC North Carolina: Application pending at the FCC North Dakota: Active: Lumen footprint Oklahoma: Application pending at the FCC Pennsylvania: Active: Verizon footprint South Dakota: Active: Lumen footprint Texas: Application pending at the FCC Wyoming: Active: Lumen footprint Connecticut: Active: Verizon footprint Missouri: Application pending at the FCC West Virginia: Active: Verizon footprint Illinois: Active: AT&T footprint New Mexico: Active: Lumen footprint Arkansas: Application pending at the FCC California: Confirmed: FCC approved Delaware: Application pending at the FCC Hawaii: No confirmed program tracked Iowa: Application pending at the FCC Kentucky: Active: AT&T footprint Maryland: Active: Verizon footprint Michigan: Active: AT&T footprint Mississippi: Application pending at the FCC Montana: Active: Lumen footprint New Hampshire: Active: Fidium footprint New York: Active: Verizon footprint Ohio: Active: AT&T footprint Oregon: Active: Lumen footprint Tennessee: Application pending at the FCC Utah: Application pending at the FCC Virginia: Application pending at the FCC Washington: Active: Lumen footprint Wisconsin: Application pending at the FCC Nebraska: Active: Lumen footprint South Carolina: Application pending at the FCC Idaho: Active: Lumen footprint Nevada: Active: AT&T footprint Vermont: Active: Fidium footprint Louisiana: Application pending at the FCC Rhode Island: Application pending at the FCC 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.

New Jersey

Application pending at the FCC

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
Discontinuance on/after Oct 23, 2026
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

Copper retirement status for every US state and the District of Columbia.
State Status Carrier Key deadline
Alabama Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Sep 30, 2026
Alaska No confirmed program tracked None tracked None announced
Arizona Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Arkansas Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Oct 16, 2026
California Confirmed: FCC approved AT&T Discontinuance on/after Jun 1, 2027
Colorado Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Connecticut Active: Verizon footprint Verizon Filings ongoing, market-by-market
Delaware Application pending at the FCC VERIZON Discontinuance on/after Oct 23, 2026
Florida Confirmed: filings underway AT&T Discontinuance target Nov 15, 2026
Georgia Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Oct 16, 2026
Hawaii No confirmed program tracked None tracked None announced
Idaho Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Illinois Active: AT&T footprint AT&T Rolling filings through 2029
Indiana Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Oct 16, 2026
Iowa Application pending at the FCC CENTURYLINK Discontinuance on/after Apr 20, 2026
Kansas Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Oct 16, 2026
Kentucky Active: AT&T footprint AT&T Rolling filings through 2029
Louisiana Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Oct 16, 2026
Maine Active: Fidium footprint Fidium Fiber (Consolidated Communications) Market-by-market, tied to fiber buildout
Maryland Active: Verizon footprint Verizon Filings ongoing, market-by-market
Massachusetts Active: Verizon footprint Verizon Filings ongoing, market-by-market
Michigan Active: AT&T footprint AT&T Rolling filings through 2029
Minnesota Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Mississippi Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Sep 30, 2026
Missouri Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Oct 16, 2026
Montana Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Nebraska Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Nevada Active: AT&T footprint AT&T Rolling filings through 2029
New Hampshire Active: Fidium footprint Fidium Fiber (Consolidated Communications) Market-by-market, tied to fiber buildout
New Jersey Application pending at the FCC VERIZON Discontinuance on/after Oct 23, 2026
New Mexico Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
New York Active: Verizon footprint Verizon Filings ongoing, market-by-market
North Carolina Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Oct 16, 2026
North Dakota Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Ohio Active: AT&T footprint AT&T Rolling filings through 2029
Oklahoma Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Oct 16, 2026
Oregon Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Pennsylvania Active: Verizon footprint Verizon Filings ongoing, market-by-market
Rhode Island Application pending at the FCC VERIZON Discontinuance on/after Oct 23, 2026
South Carolina Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Oct 16, 2026
South Dakota Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Tennessee Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Oct 16, 2026
Texas Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Oct 16, 2026
Utah Application pending at the FCC CENTURYLINK Discontinuance on/after Apr 20, 2026
Vermont Active: Fidium footprint Fidium Fiber (Consolidated Communications) Market-by-market, tied to fiber buildout
Virginia Application pending at the FCC VERIZON Discontinuance on/after Oct 23, 2026
Washington Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
West Virginia Active: Verizon footprint Verizon Filings ongoing, market-by-market
Wisconsin Application pending at the FCC AT&T Discontinuance on/after Oct 16, 2026
Wyoming Active: Lumen footprint Lumen (CenturyLink) Full retirement filings expected 2026-2029
Washington, D.C. Active: Verizon footprint Verizon Filings ongoing, market-by-market

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