Verizon Keeps Copper Landlines for Some Customers

The FCC has not yet begun reviewing Verizon's narrowed plan, so copper retirement remains unapproved and its timeline is unclear.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Telecommunications

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of copper wires spilling from a utility cabinet beside a pole, with fiber strands running alongside, in deep red, cream, and copper. — Verizon asked the FCC to let it keep copper landline service for some customers after retiring its legacy copper networks, though the regulator has not yet begun reviewing the narrowed plan. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Verizon will keep copper landline service running for some customers after it retires legacy copper networks, the company said in a filing with the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC has not yet begun a process to act on Verizon's original September proposal, so the copper retirement remains under review and is not yet approved.

Why it matters

Copper telephone networks are being phased out across the industry in favor of fiber and fixed wireless, and Verizon's scaled-back request signals that regulators and customers are pushing back on the pace of that transition. Verizon says it narrowed its plan in response to consumer opposition, which shows how service-continuity rules can shape the speed of the network upgrade.

Verizon's revised filing is a 3-page submission narrowing its copper retirement from 10 jurisdictions to a set of nine states and the DC area. The company says it will restore copper service if an adequate replacement is unavailable within one month of the transition, but it has not disclosed how many customers the change affects.

The players

Verizon

Verizon is a major US telecommunications carrier that operates legacy copper networks and is migrating customers to fiber and fixed wireless.

Federal Communications Commission

The FCC is the US federal agency that reviews and approves carrier requests to discontinue legacy copper telephone networks.

The details

Copper retirement means a carrier shuts down its legacy telephone network, which carries calls over copper wires, and moves customers to a different platform. Verizon says its replacement options include fiber and fixed wireless, and that its fiber and fixed wireless equipment has battery backup to keep service running during outages. Before any copper line is removed, Verizon says it will communicate extensively with customers and will use an FCC-approved replacement service for telephone calls.

September 2026: Verizon submitted its copper retirement proposal to the FCC.
October 2026: Verizon made a similar commitment to affected users in nine other states, including Arizona, Ohio, and Virginia.
November 3, 2026: Verizon's narrowed filing limiting the copper retirement scope was reported.

The Tech Race

Verizon's copper retirement is one of the carrier-level moves in the broader shift from legacy copper to fiber and fixed wireless in the US. The FCC's pending review, which has paused the nine-state proposal, determines how quickly that transition can proceed.

Customers in the affected states will receive communication from Verizon before any copper line is removed, and copper service will be restored if an FCC-approved replacement is unavailable within one month. Timing for when customers in the nine states would actually be moved is not yet set, because the FCC has not begun its review.

The takeaway

Watch whether the FCC opens a formal review of Verizon's narrowed copper retirement request and whether it reaches a decision on the nine-state proposal it has paused. Customers in affected states should watch for the advance notice Verizon says it will send before any copper line is removed.