Copper phone line retirement for schools

Many schools and nonprofits still have a few traditional copper phone lines, often called POTS (“plain old telephone service”). They might run a fax machine, an alarm panel, an elevator phone or a backup line in the front office. Phone companies are retiring these copper networks. There’s time to plan, and the first step is simple: know exactly what lines you have and what each one does.

What’s changing

Across the country

Copper is being replaced. Phone companies are retiring copper networks in areas where fiber, wireless or satellite service can replace them. Before ending a service, a provider must notify customers and get FCC (Federal Communications Commission) approval (FCC, as of Oct 2026).
The rules got faster. In March 2026, the FCC adopted an order meant to speed up the move off copper. It removed some filing steps and streamlined approvals to end older services (FCC, as of Oct 2026).
AT&T’s plan. In December 2024, AT&T said it’s working to exit its legacy copper network across the large majority of its wireline area by the end of 2029 (AT&T, as of Oct 2026).

In California

AT&T has applied to end traditional landline service in parts of California. On May 20, 2026, AT&T asked the FCC for permission to stop its legacy home and business landline voice service in portions of 360 California wire centers. (A wire center is the local phone company building that serves a neighborhood or town.) AT&T estimates this affects about 184,000 residential and 15,000 business customers (CPUC, as of Oct 2026).
The earliest date is June 1, 2027. The applications list service ending on or after June 1, 2027 (FCC DA 26-539, as of Oct 2026).
California has its own rules. In June 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) rejected AT&T’s request to stop being the “carrier of last resort,” the company required to offer basic phone service to anyone in its area (CPUC, as of Oct 2026). In June 2026, the CPUC filed comments with the FCC on AT&T’s applications. AT&T has also asked the FCC to rule that California’s carrier-of-last-resort rules can’t block its plan (CPUC, as of Oct 2026).

Note: Whether a given line is affected, and when, depends on where it is and how the federal and state decisions turn out. Watch your phone bills and mail for notices from your carrier, and check the CPUC page linked above for the latest status.

Not every phone line is the same

Before you replace anything, sort your lines into groups. Each group has a different replacement path.

Type of line	Examples	What to know
Regular phone lines	Main number, back line, direct lines, a backup line	These can usually move to a hosted phone service. You can typically keep the phone number by moving it (porting).
Fax lines	Fax machine, multifunction printer with fax	Options include an adapter that connects the fax machine to internet phone service, or an email-to-fax service. Test with the places you fax most before you switch.
Life-safety and monitoring lines	Fire alarm panel, intrusion alarm, elevator emergency phone, emergency call stations	These need specialized equipment listed for that use. Ask your alarm or elevator vendor first. A regular phone provider may not support them.
Other devices on phone lines	Card terminals, postage meters, building controls, dial-up modems, door or gate phones, older paging systems	Ask each device’s vendor what works on a new connection, or whether the device needs replacing.

Important: Lines that carry fire alarm, elevator emergency or other life-safety signals aren’t ordinary phone lines. Replacing them calls for equipment made and listed for that purpose, and changes may need sign-off from your local fire authority. Start with your alarm and elevator service vendors.

The FCC also suggests checking with manufacturers and providers about whether alarm systems, medical alert devices and fax machines will work on a new network (FCC, as of Oct 2026).

Plan for power outages

Copper landlines usually keep working when the power goes out. Most replacement services need backup power to do the same (FCC, as of Oct 2026). For each line, ask: does this need to work during an outage? If yes, plan battery backup for the equipment it depends on.

How to take inventory

Gather your bills. Collect the latest bill from every phone company, for every building. Ask each carrier for a customer service record (CSR), which lists every line and feature on your account.
Walk each building. Look where phone lines come in (often a phone room or utility closet), at alarm panels, in elevator machine rooms, in the front office and anywhere there’s a fax machine or card terminal.
Match each number to a device. Labels help. If a line isn’t labeled, work with the carrier or a technician to trace it. Don’t guess.
Record the details for each line (see the worksheet columns below).
Ask the right vendor about each line. Phone lines go to your phone provider. Alarm lines go to your alarm vendor. Elevator phones go to your elevator service company.
Pick a plan for each line: move it, replace the device, or cancel it if it’s truly unused.
Don’t cancel anything yet. Keep every line active until you know what it does and its replacement is tested.

Tip: If a line has no label and no one recognizes it, don’t assume it’s unused. It could be a forgotten alarm or elevator connection. Mark it “unknown” and trace it before you change it.

What to record for each line

The phone inventory worksheet has these columns ready to fill in.

Column	Example
Phone number	(the line’s number)
Building and room	Main office, Room 101
What it connects to	Fax machine
Carrier and account	(from the bill or CSR)
Monthly cost	(from the bill)
Must work in a power outage?	Yes or no
Who maintains the device	Office manager, alarm vendor, elevator company
Plan	Move, replace or cancel
Test date	When the replacement was tested

Inventory checklist

Collected the latest bill and a customer service record for every account and building.
Listed every phone number, including fax, alarm and elevator lines.
Matched each number to a device, building and room.
Marked which lines must work during a power outage.
Noted who maintains each connected device.
Asked alarm and elevator vendors what replacement they support.
Traced every “unknown” line before changing it.
Checked contract end dates and any early termination fees.
Chose a plan and a test date for each line.
Set a reminder to watch for carrier notices about service changes.

Once your list is done, you’ll know which lines are ordinary phone service, which need a specialist, and which you may not need at all. For help planning the rest of a switch, see the switching guide.

Copper phone line retirement: what schools and nonprofits should inventory now