AT&T secured a big win in its lengthy battle to pull landline service across the state of California after the Federal Communications Commission approved a petition from the telecommunications giant last week to end the service. The plan would cut off access to 184,000 households starting June 1, 2027, the Mercury News reported, though it remains unclear how many homes in the Bay Area would be affected.

“Only 3% of households we serve in California still use traditional phone service. We’re taking a phased, year-long approach to upgrade customers in these areas where better, more reliable services are available,” AT&T said in a recent news release, adding that “no customer will be left without access to phone or 911 service.”

The news comes over three years after AT&T submitted an application to the California Public Utilities Commission to end its status as California’s Carrier of Last Resort, or COLR. The designation requires the company to provide basic telephone service, typically in the form of landline service, to any residents who request it. At the time, AT&T argued that having to maintain an “antiquated, narrowband network with an ever-dwindling base of subscribers” gave other companies a competitive advantage, also noting the number of California households using the service had dropped 89% between 2000 and 2021.

“Like Blockbuster rentals and Kodak film, [landline service] has fallen from technological primacy to effective obsolescence in the course of a generation,” the company said in 2023.

But the plan raised concerns among rural Californians who rely on landlines in emergencies, as well as people wanting a backup option in the event that cell service or internet coverage is spotty during a wildfire, earthquake or storm. In a June 12 statement, the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) said AT&T customers throughout the state have been receiving notices stating that their traditional landline service will be discontinued and encouraging them to switch to alternative technologies.

In response, the RCRC urged people to object to service discontinuance by contacting the FCC or filing a complaint with the CPUC.

“While these letters may sound definitive, they can be misleading and do not fully reflect AT&T’s ongoing obligation to provide basic telephone service to its California customers upon request,” the statement read. “For many households-particularly seniors, rural residents, and those who depend on reliable service for health and safety-and small businesses, these notices create unnecessary confusion and concern about losing a vital connection.”

Despite the June 29 approval from the FCC, AT&T still faces additional applications pending before the commission, as well as a federal court case after it filed a lawsuit in May against the CPUC and the state Attorney General’s Office. AT&T requested a court order that would relieve itself of its COLR obligations and prevent the state from intervening, pledging to contact its landline customers and help them find new upgrades until it has regulatory approval to discontinue service.

Earlier this month, the RCRC filed an amicus curiae brief supporting the CPUC and the state Attorney General. They argued AT&T’s “efforts to retire landline service before reliable replacement technologies are identified, tested, and widely deployed risk [leaves] many residents without dependable communications access.”

“Technological progress should improve service, not diminish it,” Miles Menetrey, Mariposa County Supervisor and RCRC Board Chair, said in the news release. “Before existing services are discontinued, Californians deserve assurance that replacement technologies will provide equal or better functionality, reliability, and accessibility.”

Residents concerned about losing their landline coverage have several deadlines over the next month to file comments.

More Local

–  Amy’s Kitchen founder lists rare Bay Area beachfront retreat
–  Iconic SF company flips FIFA’s World Cup restrictions on their head
–  SF bar patron refused service after speaking out against face-scanning tech
–  The hidden steps that inspired the most iconic SF story of all time

Get SFGATE’s top stories sent to your inbox by signing up for The Daily newsletter here.

This article originally published at Landline service could end for good across the Bay Area and California.