AT&T Drops Landlines Amid Rural Concerns

AT&T is aggressively pushing to eliminate its legal duty to maintain landline service in much of California, arguing the system is outdated and costly — but for rural residents, those lines are often their only lifeline during outages, storms, or wildfires. While the state tries to modernize rules for “carriers of last resort,” AT&T is taking the fight to federal courts and the FCC, claiming state regulations block its fiber and wireless investments. Customers report skyrocketing prices, poor call quality, and weeks-long outages — with little help from customer service. Meanwhile, AT&T touts billions in upgrades, promising smooth transitions — but critics question how reliability is measured and whether those investments will reach the most vulnerable communities. This high-stakes battle pits tech progress against essential connectivity — with real consequences for safety and communication in hard-to-reach areas. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/e54cf8d431c8f17e