The clock on copper is shorter than it looks.
Regulatory timeline
What the FCC has actually done.
The Federal Communications Commission has moved deliberately to accelerate the transition off copper. Each action narrows the time between a carrier's decision and a customer's line going dark.
- March 2025
FCC streamlines copper retirement
The Wireline Competition Bureau issued orders waiving network change disclosure filings for copper retirements and easing the Alternative Options and Adequate Replacement tests carriers use to discontinue legacy voice service. Practical effect: less paperwork, faster decommissioning, fewer opportunities to object.
- 2025
Tariffs and pricing accelerate
Carriers raised POTS pricing sharply through 2025 and signaled accelerated shutdown timelines. POTS line economics are no longer a steady-state cost: each renewal cycle gets more expensive than the last.
- By end of 2029
AT&T targets full copper retirement
AT&T has publicly committed to retiring most of its copper-based services nationwide. Many lines will hit notice well before 2029 as central offices and exchanges are individually decommissioned ahead of that target.
- 2026 and beyond
Section 214 automatic grants tighten further
Building on the 2025 actions, the FCC has codified streamlined Section 214(a) discontinuance processing so applications are automatically granted on the 31st day after filing absent intervention. Practically, customer notice can be measured in weeks rather than months.
Source orders are cited at the bottom of this page. The dates above reflect actions taken by the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau and full Commission in 2025 and 2026, as well as AT&T's publicly stated copper retirement target for end-of-year 2029.
The exposure
What “wait and see” actually costs.
POTS is not abandoned hardware in a closet. It is wired into the systems that keep buildings safe, payments flowing, and emergency calls connected. When notice lands, the clock starts on every one of them at once.
Notice arrives without warning
Operations or facilities teams typically learn of discontinuance through a vendor letter, not an IT roadmap. If a fire alarm panel, elevator phone, or emergency line is on copper, it is on borrowed time.
Replacement cost compounds
Acting after a 30-day notice means premium installation, rush hardware, and lost negotiating leverage. Planning the migration in advance protects pricing, sequencing, and compliance review.
Multi-site exposure scales fast
Distributed operations multiply both risk and complexity. A single missed line at a single site can take down a fire panel or elevator phone, with compliance and life-safety consequences attached.
The value path
Replace the line. Not the system.
Most of the equipment behind a POTS line works exactly as it did the day it was commissioned. The right answer is rarely to throw it away and rebuy modern equivalents. AReS 2 keeps the investment in place and replaces only what the carrier is taking away — the dial tone.
Keep certifications already on file for fire, elevator, and POS equipment in service today.
Defer larger system replacements until they make business sense on their own merits, not on the carrier's schedule.
Industry Recognition
Frost & Sullivan, 2026
Industry Recognition
Ooma AirDial, the technology powering AReS 2, received the 2026 Frost & Sullivan North American Competitive Strategy Leadership Recognition for POTS replacement.
Source material
Regulatory references behind the timeline above. We routinely track these dockets so you don't have to.
Next step
Move the migration off your risk list.
Share what you have on copper today. We'll respond with a configuration, line-by-line plan, and migration sequence, usually within one business day.