Independent advisory for colocation, GPU and data center projects

A reply within 24 hours

Tell Us What You Need

Copper Retirement DataAT&T and Verizon Landline Shutoffs by State and Every FCC Filing, Free to Download

Every carrier approval, pending request and FCC action from our copper retirement tracker, as CSV files with a source on every row. Free to use and cite with a link.

Download the Data
For reporters, researchers and IT teams Every row sourced and dated CC BY 4.0, free to cite
THE SHORT ANSWER
This dataset records where AT&T and Verizon have FCC approval, or a pending request, to discontinue copper landline (POTS) service. As of October 24, 2026, 22 states have a logged approval and 36 states plus Washington, D.C. have an approval or a pending request. AT&T’s 18-state batch can start on November 15, 2026 (Broadband Breakfast), and AT&T issued 494 copper retirement notices in 2025, more than double 2024, by an industry tally (DataRemote). The files below hold the state-by-state status, every carrier filing with its FCC notice and docket, AT&T’s notices per year and the full tracker log, with a source on every row. For the plain-language version, see the copper retirement tracker.
STATES WITH AN APPROVAL
22
AT&T in 19 with California, Verizon in 8, 5 on both lists
APPROVED OR REQUESTED
36 + D.C.
adds Verizon requests pending in 15 more states
AT&T 18-STATE BATCH STARTS
Nov. 15, 2026
the first day shutoffs can begin
AT&T NOTICES IN 2025
494
up from 240 in 2024, by an industry tally

Sources: Broadband Breakfast, January 13, 2026 (AT&T 18 states and start date); Broadband Breakfast, July 6, 2026 (AT&T California approval); Broadband Breakfast, August 21, 2026 (Verizon eight states); Fierce Network, September 28, 2026 and DataRemote (Verizon requests pending); DataRemote Copper Retirement Bulletin, Q3 2026 (MetTel notice tally). State counts are MCA calculations. Data as of October 24, 2026.

USING THIS FOR A BUILDING?
The data shows where and when copper shutoffs can start. For what replaces each line type and what it costs, see POTS line replacement, and to compare the companies that install the replacements, see POTS replacement providers compared. Fire alarm and elevator lines need sign-off from the local inspector: see fire alarm phone line replacement and elevator phone line replacement. If the copper exit is part of a wider carrier or network review across many sites, see IT infrastructure consulting.

Download the Copper Retirement Data

Five CSV files and a data dictionary. Dates are written YYYY-MM-DD, states use two-letter postal codes, and each row carries the link to its source. Open them in Excel, Google Sheets or any mapping tool.

FileWhat it holdsRowsDownload
State summarycopper-retirement-state-summary.csvOne row per state and D.C.: AT&T status, Verizon status, map category and earliest approved discontinuance date51Download CSV
State and carrier statuscopper-retirement-state-carrier-status.csvOne row per state and filing, with status, approval date and earliest discontinuance date46Download CSV
Carrier filingscopper-retirement-carrier-filings.csvEvery logged AT&T, Verizon, Lumen and Fidium filing, with FCC notice, docket, dates, scale and source14Download CSV
AT&T notices per yearcopper-retirement-att-notices-per-year.csvAT&T copper retirement notices, 2019 to 2025 (industry tally)7Download CSV
Tracker logcopper-retirement-tracker-log.csvEvery development logged on the tracker, with event date, logged date and source24Download CSV
Data dictionarycopper-retirement-data-dictionary.txtWhat every column means, plus the limits of the datan/aDownload
Free to use and cite with a link
This dataset is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC BY 4.0). Use it in articles, reports, maps and research. Please credit Metro Colo Advisory with a link to this page: https://metrocoloadvisory.com/copper-retirement-data/
Suggested citation: Metro Colo Advisory, “Copper Retirement Data: AT&T and Verizon Landline Discontinuance by State,” https://metrocoloadvisory.com/copper-retirement-data/, data as of October 24, 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23620111. Carrier dates and figures can also be cited to the original sources linked in each row.

The Data on a Map: Where AT&T and Verizon Have Approval

This is the state summary file drawn as a map. Each colored tile is a state where an AT&T or Verizon filing in the dataset has FCC approval to discontinue copper landline service, or is pending. Approvals cover specific wire centers, so a colored tile means some sites there are affected, not all of them.

Copper landline discontinuance by state: AT&T and Verizon
One tile per state, for the filings in the dataset: AT&T’s 18-state batch and California approval, and Verizon’s three applications. A corner marker means Verizon has also filed in an AT&T state.
AT&T approved Verizon approved Verizon request pending AT&T approved, Verizon approved too AT&T approved, Verizon pending Nothing logged here yet
22 states with a logged approval. AT&T’s 18 plus California, plus Verizon’s 8, less the 5 states on both lists (Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin): 19 + 8 − 5 = 22. MCA calculation.
36 states plus D.C. with a logged approval or request. Add Verizon’s 9 states under review, less Ohio and South Carolina, already counted, and its September filing’s 9 states and D.C., less California and Michigan, already counted: 22 + 7 + 7 = 36, plus D.C. MCA calculation.

Sources: Broadband Breakfast, January 13, 2026 (AT&T); Verizon’s July 7, 2026 application as copied to the Florida Public Service Commission and Broadband Breakfast, August 21, 2026 (Verizon approved); Fierce Network, September 28, 2026 (Verizon under review); Broadband Breakfast, July 6, 2026 (AT&T California); DataRemote (Verizon September filing). A gray tile means no AT&T or Verizon approval or request is in the dataset, not that every line there is safe: AT&T’s business-line application in 34 states and D.C. is not mapped because the states are not published, and Lumen and other carriers publish their own notices. The map data is the state summary file above. The plain-language version is on the copper retirement tracker. Figures as of October 2026. Free to cite with a link to this page.

Interactive version: open the interactive map, with hover details, a PNG download and embed code. Free to embed with credit to Metro Colo Advisory.

What Is in the Copper Retirement Dataset

The carrier filings file is the core of the dataset: one row per filing, with the carrier, the services covered, the states, the FCC public notice and docket, the automatic grant date, the decision and the earliest discontinuance date. These are the AT&T and Verizon filings that set dates for most multi-site organizations.

Carrier and servicesStatesStatus, October 24, 2026Earliest discontinuanceFCC notice
AT&TCopper landline serviceAL, AR, FL, GA, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MS, MO, NC, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, WIApprovedNovember 15, 2026Notice number not logged
AT&TResidential and business legacy voiceCAApproved; preemption petition pendingJune 1, 2027DA 26-539
Verizon (including former Frontier, Verizon South)Legacy copper POTS, residential and businessFL, IN, MN, NE, NV, NC, TX, WIApprovedNovember 16, 2026Notice number not logged
AT&TBusiness Local Exchange Access Line Service (business POTS)AL, AR, GA, LA, SC, TNSet for automatic grantNovember 15, 2026DA 26-861 (Aug 14, 2026)
AT&TResidential Local Service (residential POTS)AL, LA, MSSet for automatic grantSeptember 30, 2026DA 26-861 (Aug 14, 2026)
Verizon (including former Frontier)Legacy copper voiceAZ, DE, NJ, NM, OH, RI, SC, UT, VAUnder FCC reviewNot setDA 26-890 (Aug 26, 2026)
VerizonLegacy copper POTSCA, CT, DC, IL, MD, MA, MI, NY, PA, WVFiled, pendingNovember 30, 2026No acceptance notice found yet
AT&T (CLEC affiliates)Business landline service sold as PrimePath Service or Business Local Exchange Service (AT&T Business Network, OneNet Option, ACC Business)34 states and D.C. (states not listed in the sources)Set for automatic grant; New York PSC opposedNovember 5, 2026DA 26-1075 (Oct 5, 2026)

Sources: Broadband Breakfast (AT&T 18 states); Broadband Breakfast, July 6, 2026 (California); FCC DA 26-861; DataRemote, October 19, 2026 and Broadband Breakfast, October 22, 2026 (AT&T business lines in 34 states and D.C., FCC DA 26-1075); Broadband Breakfast, August 21, 2026 (Verizon eight states); FCC DA 26-890 and Fierce Network (Verizon nine states); DataRemote (Verizon September filing). The full file also logs AT&T’s initial 500 wire center batch, its request not to restore damaged copper, Fidium and Lumen.

ONE CAVEAT
AT&T’s business-line application under FCC public notice DA 26-1075 covers 34 states and D.C., but the sources we reviewed do not list the states, so it is in the filings file and not on the state map. Approvals cover specific wire centers, not every line in a state: the carrier’s notice letter decides whether a site is affected.

AT&T Copper Retirement Notices per Year

AT&T copper retirement notices per year, 2019 to 2025 (industry tally)
From the notices file. 2025 is highlighted.
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2.06 times 2024. 494 notices in 2025 against 240 in 2024. MCA calculation.
More than 2019 to 2022 combined. 16 + 82 + 97 + 111 = 306. MCA calculation.

Source: MetTel tally reported in DataRemote’s Copper Retirement Bulletin, Q3 2026. An industry tally, not an FCC count. Since FCC 26-19 removed the network change filing requirements, counts from 2026 on may not compare with earlier years. Free to cite with a link to this page.

Interactive version: open the interactive chart, with hover details, a PNG download and embed code. Free to embed with credit to Metro Colo Advisory.

Using this data to plan your own sites?
If your organization has multiple locations or 20 or more lines, send us the carrier letters and a list of site addresses. We map which sites each letter covers and what runs on those lines, then run the replacement providers that fit at the same time. The provider you choose pays us, so it costs you nothing. You’ll hear back within 24 hours.

How the Copper Retirement Data Is Built

Primary sources first

FCC public notices and orders, carrier applications as filed with state commissions, and the California Public Utilities Commission. Trade press fills in what the documents do not publish, such as when an automatic grant took effect.

A source on every row

Every filing, state row and log entry carries the link it came from, so you can check any figure against the original.

Dated, not guessed

When a source gives only a month, the date is written as a month. Counts of states are our calculations and are labeled that way. Nothing is estimated.

Kept current

New approvals, requests and FCC actions go into the copper retirement tracker as they are announced, and the files here are refreshed to match.

LIMITS
Approvals cover specific wire centers, not every line in a state. A state with nothing logged is not safe by default: Lumen, Fidium and other carriers publish their own notices, and AT&T’s 34-state business-line application is not mapped by state. The AT&T notices per year are an industry tally, not an FCC count. For what replaces each line type and what it costs, see POTS line replacement; for fire alarm and elevator lines, see fire alarm phone line replacement and elevator phone line replacement.
HOW TO CITE THIS DATASET
Metro Colo Advisory, “Copper Retirement Data: AT&T and Verizon Landline Discontinuance by State,” https://metrocoloadvisory.com/copper-retirement-data/, data as of October 24, 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23620111. License: CC BY 4.0. Also archived on Zenodo. Related: Copper Retirement Tracker, POTS Line Replacement, POTS Replacement Providers Compared.

Copper Retirement Data: Frequently Asked Questions

What does the copper retirement dataset include?

Five CSV files: a state summary with one row per state and D.C., a state and carrier status file, every logged AT&T, Verizon, Lumen and Fidium filing with its FCC notice, docket and dates, AT&T copper retirement notices per year from 2019 to 2025, and the full tracker log. A data dictionary explains every column.

How many states have copper retirement approvals?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 states have a logged FCC approval for AT&T or Verizon to discontinue copper landline service in parts of the state: AT&T in 19 (its 18-state batch plus California) and Verizon in 8, with 5 states on both lists. Adding Verizon requests still pending, 36 states plus Washington, D.C. have an approval or a request. These counts are Metro Colo Advisory calculations from the filings in the dataset.

Can I use this data in an article or report?

Yes. The dataset is published under CC BY 4.0, so you can use it in articles, reports, maps and research. Please credit Metro Colo Advisory with a link to https://metrocoloadvisory.com/copper-retirement-data/. Carrier dates and figures can also be cited to the original sources linked in each row.

Where does the data come from?

From FCC public notices and orders, carrier applications filed with state commissions, the California Public Utilities Commission, and trade press including Broadband Breakfast, Fierce Network and Light Reading. AT&T’s notices per year come from a MetTel tally reported in DataRemote’s Copper Retirement Bulletin. Every row links to its source.

How often is the copper retirement data updated?

When a new carrier approval, request or FCC action is announced, we add it to the copper retirement tracker and refresh these files. Each file shows the date of the data, and the tracker log records the date each entry was added.

Does a state on the list mean every copper line there will be shut off?

No. FCC approvals cover specific wire centers, not every line in a state, and the carrier’s notice letter decides whether a site is affected. A state with nothing logged is not guaranteed safe either: Lumen, Fidium and other carriers publish their own notices.

Data as of October 24, 2026. Free to cite with a link to this page.