Frontier/ Verizon Has Formally Submitted Intent to Discontinue Landlines

At the October 8^th meeting of the Pocahontas County Broadband Council, Mike Holstine informed the members that Verizon, on behalf of its subsidiary Frontier Communications, has formerly submitted application to the Federal Communications Commission for the authority under the Commission’s rules to discontinue legacy voice service which is commonly referred to as copper landline telephone service, in 9 states, including West Virginia.

Holstine included links to internet sites containing more detailed information about this. Those sites indicate that Verizon in its application said: “because it makes no sense to maintain a ubiquitous, costly legacy network that consumers have largely abandoned, we seek to transition customers to modern services provided by Verizon or another provider.”

Verizon argued that plain old copper-based landline service is not fast enough to meet modern communication needs. Their application added “In this application, we seek authority to discontinue copper services only where customers can obtain facilities-based service from Verizon, one of our two nationwide mobile carrier competitors, or eight sizeable cable and/or fiber providers that compete significantly with us in the discontinuance area.”

Another link provided by Holstine was to the Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC,) site where they say they are filing comments before the Federal Communications Commission, seeking to protect traditional landline phone service in the Mountain State. The PSC also says that in its approval for Verizon to purchase Frontier last year, they required Verizon/Frontier to set aside $60 million in a special fund to continue to service copper-wire landlines for customers in West Virginia.

The FCC has not yet announced its decision.

Additionally, during the Broadband Council meeting, the members expressed appreciation for the late John Tuggle of Region 4 and for all the work he has done to better our community, including the expansion of broadband service here.

Regarding the ARC Broadband Project, they said it is nearly complete and Citynet is working on lateral hookups.

Regarding the Line Extension Advancement and Development (LEAD) Program, it is on target for a December completion.

Regarding the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, the state is working on the contract and its permitting process. BEAD is designed to provide broadband service to any address not eligible for it by any other program. It must be completed within 4 years.

Finally, it was announced that the FCC is also evaluating the future of the E-Rate Program. That program provides eligible K-12 schools and public libraries with discounts for telecommunications, internet access, and network equipment. The FCC is accepting public comments on that until November 12^th