Wisconsin Landline Customers Keep Phone Service
Verizon's copper phaseout pledge sets conditions for replacements, but it remains a company commitment still being tested in practice.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Telecommunications
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Verizon has pledged that Wisconsin customers will not lose landline service during its copper network phaseout, according to a response letter sent to Sen. Tammy Baldwin's office. Verizon estimates roughly 3,500 Wisconsin addresses lack access to a company fiber or wireless replacement and will remain on copper facilities. This is a company commitment on how the transition will be handled, not a completed change.
Why it matters
Verizon is moving from legacy copper networks to modern technologies, and the pledge follows constituent concerns Baldwin raised about emergency access, power outages, and affordability as plain old telephone service is retired. The commitments set conditions the company must meet before any customer is disconnected.
Verizon's response letter, as reported, offers battery backups lasting up to 24 hours for emergency 911 calls during power outages and a 30-day window to restore copper service if a replacement fails. The 3,500-address figure and 5% fiber share are company estimates, and no independent measurement is cited.
The players
Verizon
A major U.S. telecommunications carrier operating wireline, fiber, and wireless networks, and now migrating customers off its legacy copper plain old telephone service.
Tammy Baldwin
U.S. Senator from Wisconsin who raised constituent concerns over copper service retirement with Verizon and shared the company's response.
Oneida County Economic Development Corporation
Northern Wisconsin economic development body whose executive director received Verizon's response through Senator Baldwin's office.
The details
Copper phone lines carry voice service over older wiring that the company is retiring in favor of fiber-optic lines and wireless home phone replacements that connect to existing telephones. Verizon says it will not disconnect any customer until an FCC-approved fiber-optic or wireless voice alternative is verified at that location at a comparable price. Customers who move to a replacement will have installation, equipment, and setup costs waived. Customers on copper facilities keep the same service, but emergency calls during power outages depend on the battery backup Verizon will provide.
Timeline
Verizon's response to Sen. Tammy Baldwin's office was published November 4, 2026.
The Tech Race
The copper-to-fiber and copper-to-wireless shift is a multi-year move by U.S. carriers away from legacy voice infrastructure. Verizon's Wisconsin commitments show how carriers are being pressed by lawmakers to attach service guarantees to that retirement.
Wisconsin customers on copper lines will not be disconnected until a verified fiber or wireless alternative is available at their address at a comparable price, with installation costs waived. Customers who stay on copper should check that their home phone works with a backup battery during power outages, since Verizon's pledge provides battery backups lasting up to 24 hours for 911 calls.
The takeaway
Watch whether Verizon's pledge holds in practice: the test is whether any Wisconsin customer is disconnected before a verified replacement is in place, and whether the 30-day copper restoration window is honored when an alternative fails. Those outcomes will show whether the commitments are being kept.
Further reading
For the broader context on how carriers are retiring legacy networks, see Telecommunications coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Wsaw.
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Do you trust phone companies to keep landline service running during the copper phaseout?
