AT&T filed a lawsuit against the California Public Utilities Commission and the state attorney general. The telecom company seeks to stop maintaining its century-old copper wire-based analog phone network.
Carrier challenges state mandate over costly analog phone infrastructure
The legacy infrastructure costs AT&T up to $1 billion annually while serving only around 3 percent of California residents. The carrier simultaneously requested dispensation from the FCC to discontinue these analog services where modern cellular and fiber networks provide superior coverage.
AT&T projects that transitioning away from copper wire will save approximately 300 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year by 2030. This reduction equals eliminating emissions from 17 million gallons of gasoline. The company also claims the shift would stop around 2,000 annual outages caused by copper wire theft.
The carrier plans to invest $19 billion through 2030 to fiberize four million additional households and businesses in California.
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