Sarah Gantz

The Maryland Office of People's Counsel is calling for an investigation and suspension of copper-line retirement notices Verizon has been sending some Maryland customers. Verizon and other telecommunications companies are eager to replace old copper wiring for landline telephones with fiber-optic cable, and the Federal Communications Commission has established rules to make the transition smoother for customers. The notices Verizon has been sending some customers in Howard, Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Montgomery counties are confusing and misleading, and therefore do not comply with the FCC's rules, the Maryland Office of People's Counsel alleged in a petition to the Maryland Public Service Commission and comments to the FCC. For example, some customers received notice that their copper line will be retired and they must switch to Verizon's fiber network or another provider by Dec. 14, while other notices had a deadline of September 2017. Still others received both notices, according to the Office of People's Counsel.