FCC POTS Lines Forbearance Order 19-72A1

The End of Copper POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) Lines 

The FCC has approved a forbearance request (order 19-72A1) that permitted phone and telecommunications carriers to abandon old, outdated, and degrading copper analog POTS landlines. Carriers are not only released from obligations to maintain this critical communications infrastructure but are also no longer required to make POTS available to their consumers. 

Expected Impact of the FCC POTS Lines Forbearance Order 19-72A1

The aftermath of this FCC order has already begun. As a result of FCC POTS Lines Forbearance Order 19-72A1, telecommunications carriers have started increasing the pricing for existing POTS lines by up to 150%! They’re doing this in an effort to force customers off of the outdated copper analog POTS infrastructure. Maintaining POTS lines is becoming increasingly expensive for carriers to maintain. With more businesses shifting to digital, this leaves existing businesses that still use copper analog POTS lines to pay the difference. Keep in mind that with these higher costs also comes the lack of service since carriers will no longer be required to maintain or offer POTS lines service. 

The FCC POTS Lines Forbearance Order 19-72A1 mandates that customers and resellers of POTS line services must transition to an alternative solution on or before August 2, 2022.

THE DEADLINE HAS PASSED!

Some solutions, such as VoIP, are capable of handling certain POTS line functions, like phone and voice. However, there are special services that have been historically supported by POTS lines, such as fire and burglar alarms, elevator lines, fax lines, ATMS and analog modem data, that make working with VoIP challenging. This is due to the unique codecs and transmission modes needed to effectively support such devices.