Copper and DSL Are Going Away: Check Your Alarms, Fax, Elevators and POS Lines

Many businesses moved their main phones to VoIP years ago. But a building may still have lines doing quiet, important jobs: an alarm panel, an elevator emergency phone, a fax machine, a card terminal, DSL internet. Those are the services most likely to be overlooked as carriers retire copper.

What's happening

Deadlines are carrier- and location-specific. There is no single national shutdown date. AT&T, for example, says it plans to exit copper in the majority of its wireline footprint by the end of 2029, in phases, discontinuing legacy services "in parts of our wireline footprint" and notifying customers along the way. Other carriers set their own plans, and timing depends on your location and the specific service.

The FCC rules have changed. In its March 2026 order (FCC 26-19), the FCC granted carriers blanket authority to "grandfather" legacy voice service, data service below 25/3 Mbps and VoIP provisioned over copper, meaning existing customers keep the service but new orders can stop. A carrier must notify existing customers when it grandfathers a service, including an approximate date by which it intends to seek permanent discontinuance and a statement about alternatives. Permanent discontinuance still requires an application, and the rules apply a 31-day automatic grant period. According to the Federal Register, these rule amendments took effect October 15, 2026. That is a regulatory effective date, not the date your line disconnects.

Why the "other" lines matter

AT&T's filed test plan for its business replacement product lists specialty analog equipment, such as elevator lines, alarm panels, point-of-sale terminals, fax machines and modems, that can connect to its IP-based device over wired broadband or LTE with automatic failover. That is one provider's technical description, not proof that a given installation is suitable.

An analog device also does not prove the outside service is copper; it may already run through an adapter. And power matters: the FCC warns that VoIP service may not work during a power outage or when the internet connection fails, and suggests backup power or a wireless phone.