TECHNOLOGY: Shutting Down Traditional Phone Lines

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

https://cordcuttersnews.com/california-wants-to-stop-att-from-shutting-down-traditional-phone-lines/

California Wants to Stop AT&T From Shutting Down Traditional Phone Lines

By

Luke Bouma

on
June 19, 2026

in
All News, News

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California regulators have formally accused AT&T of providing false information to the Federal Communications Commission in an effort to discontinue service on its aging copper-based wireline telephone network, according to Arstechnica. The filing, submitted by the California Public Utilities Commission on June 15, 2026, challenges AT&T’s petitions to preempt state rules and end landline obligations affecting roughly 199,000 customers. This comes as AT&T and others have been shutting down DSL and traditional phone lines that run on copper in many states.

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Sad to say but as a fat old white guy retired injineer, copper-based wireline telephone network, sometimes called POTS (plain old telephone service) is and was very reliable and cheap.  Power outages, tornados, and human stupidity aside, you picked up the phone and got “dial tone”.

Don’t forget the AT&T tradition of the operator dying at the switchboard to alert everyone of danger. 

And, the old AT&T Motto, “no service is so urgent, that we can’t take the time to do our job safely”.  Never mind the wags that amended it to “take time for coffee”.

It was a “widows and orphans” stock, until in their infinite wisdom Judge Green and the FCC (a captive of the mobile telephone industry) decided that AT&T and the Baby Bells should be “aborted”.   One casualty was the greatest national resource “Bell Labs”. Another was the millions of retirees who had —  whether they knew it or not —  dedicated their lives to providing the BEST national telephone service. 

Shame on the US Gooferment for allowing this to fail.

Argh!

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DISCOURAGING: Antitrust actions led to a major breakup in 1984 and tremendous economic losses

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

https://cordcuttersnews.com/att-marks-150th-anniversary/

AT&T Marks 150th Anniversary as It Shuts Down the Traditional Phone Lines That Made It What It Is Today
By Luke Bouma
on February 25, 2026

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Government intervention shaped AT&T’s trajectory in the mid-20th century. Antitrust actions led to a major breakup in 1984, dividing the company into regional operating companies known as the Baby Bells, while AT&T retained long-distance services and equipment manufacturing. Over the subsequent decades, the company navigated deregulation and competition, reacquiring several of its former subsidiaries and expanding into wireless and broadband. Notable developments included the first satellite telephone call in 1962, the implementation of the 911 emergency system in 1968, and the historic call to astronauts on the moon in 1969. In the 1970s, AT&T pioneered fiber-optic cables using advanced lasers and glass fibers, setting the stage for high-speed data transmission.

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Silently, Gooferment politicians and bureaucrats transformed the old MaBell from a “widows and orphans” stock into a national disaster.  

Maybe it was due for an overhaul but the social and economic cost were staggering. 

Personally, I did ok but I lost a “career” and my Mom lost millions in her stock and savings.  

Many old folks beleived the company’s paternalistic promises to their own detriment. 

Saddest of all was the loss of Bell Labs.  It was a scientific miracle for America.  It was shattered by politicians and bureaucrats who could not see its value to the nation.

So sad.

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