AT&T's copper shutdown in California takes a step forward

AT&T's plans to shutter its power-hungry copper network in California moved ahead a step or two after the Federal Communications Commission ruled that the operator could start the conversion process for about 184,000 customers in the state. That process targets a subset of AT&T customers who are still using copper-based services in the state. Under the plan, those customers can keep their existing service until it is discontinued on or after June 1, 2027. AT&T has developed a POTS (plain old telephone service) alternative called AT&T Phone–Advanced that can run on fiber or wireless connections and support legacy phones, fax machines, home security systems, and medical monitoring devices.