Rule eliminations make it easier to replace copper networks with wireless.
The Federal Communications Commission is making it easier for telcos to turn off old copper phone and DSL networks with four changes that relax requirements related to copper shutoffs. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr—who is also pushing a "Delete, Delete, Delete" initiative to get rid of as many rules as possible—said in an announcement today that agency rules have prevented providers from upgrading to faster networks.
"Outdated FCC rules have left Americans sitting in the slow lane for far too long," Carr said. "Those FCC rules have forced providers to pour resources into maintaining aging and expensive copper line networks instead of investing in the modern, high-speed infrastructure that Americans want and deserve."
The key question for people using old copper service is whether they will ever get a big upgrade to fiber lines for phone and Internet access or if they'll have to make do with wireless replacements that vary greatly in quality and speed. As we previously reported, AT&T is aiming to eliminate copper phone and DSL lines from its 21-state wireline network but will not deploy fiber in the more sparsely populated half of that territory.
An AT&T executive said in December that a Republican-led FCC will help the carrier "make even more progress in simplifying our networks and migrating our customers over the next several years." The FCC changes touted by Carr today can help AT&T replace copper with wireless in most states, but not necessarily in California, where the state Public Utilities Commission rejected AT&T's request to end its landline phone obligations in a June 2024 ruling. AT&T has obtained its requested deregulation in the other 20 states.
The four changes were adopted by the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau on its own authority, so there was no vote by the commissioners. The FCC has a 2-2 split between Democrats and Republicans but will gain a Republican majority soon as one of the Democratic commissioners is resigning. When the FCC is at its five-member maximum, the party controlling the White House maintains a 3-2 advantage.
One order clarifies how telcos can turn off copper lines without conducting performance tests as part of the "adequate replacement test" designed to prove that replacement services offer equivalent network performance, service availability, and geographic coverage.
The order said:
Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...arr-starts-granting-telecom-lobbys-wish-list/
The Federal Communications Commission is making it easier for telcos to turn off old copper phone and DSL networks with four changes that relax requirements related to copper shutoffs. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr—who is also pushing a "Delete, Delete, Delete" initiative to get rid of as many rules as possible—said in an announcement today that agency rules have prevented providers from upgrading to faster networks.
"Outdated FCC rules have left Americans sitting in the slow lane for far too long," Carr said. "Those FCC rules have forced providers to pour resources into maintaining aging and expensive copper line networks instead of investing in the modern, high-speed infrastructure that Americans want and deserve."
The key question for people using old copper service is whether they will ever get a big upgrade to fiber lines for phone and Internet access or if they'll have to make do with wireless replacements that vary greatly in quality and speed. As we previously reported, AT&T is aiming to eliminate copper phone and DSL lines from its 21-state wireline network but will not deploy fiber in the more sparsely populated half of that territory.
An AT&T executive said in December that a Republican-led FCC will help the carrier "make even more progress in simplifying our networks and migrating our customers over the next several years." The FCC changes touted by Carr today can help AT&T replace copper with wireless in most states, but not necessarily in California, where the state Public Utilities Commission rejected AT&T's request to end its landline phone obligations in a June 2024 ruling. AT&T has obtained its requested deregulation in the other 20 states.
Hoping for fiber? Expect more wireless
Carr did not say whether he expects today's actions to spur more deployment of fiber, and it's clear the FCC is making it easier for carriers to use only wireless in areas where they don't want to spend the money needed for fiber. Carr's press release said "the FCC is keeping consumer protections in place, including requiring interoperability and guarding against price hikes by ensuring that consumers transitioning to new networks get access to services at similar or lower price points."The four changes were adopted by the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau on its own authority, so there was no vote by the commissioners. The FCC has a 2-2 split between Democrats and Republicans but will gain a Republican majority soon as one of the Democratic commissioners is resigning. When the FCC is at its five-member maximum, the party controlling the White House maintains a 3-2 advantage.
One order clarifies how telcos can turn off copper lines without conducting performance tests as part of the "adequate replacement test" designed to prove that replacement services offer equivalent network performance, service availability, and geographic coverage.
The order said:
Today's order said this should have already been an option under the old rules but that a "clarification is necessary in light of apparent confusion regarding the specific testing methodology and parameters permitted by the two separate options that carriers may use to satisfy the Adequate Replacement Test's first prong. We believe that confusion, in turn, has prevented carriers from pursuing technology transition discontinuances under the Adequate Replacement Test.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...arr-starts-granting-telecom-lobbys-wish-list/
