Disconnected: What the Phone System’s Digital Transition Will Mean for Consumers

The accelerating shift to digital telephone networks could end basic standards like affordable service and 9-1-1 access, The Greenlining Institute argues in a new report.

Key findings include:

• Major telephone providers plan to upgrade the technology they use in their telephone networks, switching to all-digital networks.
• If the Federal Communications Commission doesn’t enforce basic standards as this transition proceeds, programs making sure phone service is available and affordable would be in danger. People in rural areas could lose service, and low-income consumers might not be able to get basic phone service they can afford.
• Access to 9-1-1 emergency services would also be in danger, along with reverse 9-1-1, which provides notification in case of natural disaster or other emergency.
• Despite these consequences for consumers, major carriers argue that the Federal Communications Commission should reduce its ability to enforce these basic standards. They advocate for the elimination of FCC and state oversight of all-digital networks, arguing that they should be treated as information services, not telecommunications services.
• These and other potential impacts would affect all telephone users, but would be felt most severely by low-income consumers and communities of color.