At least in Boston, commercial property owners are receiving notices that ‘copper lines are being removed per FCC rules’ and replaced with fiber. The property owner, not the network operators (or users of unbundled elements if that’s even still a thing) are being presented with an agreement that acknowledges the removal, authorizes the fiber installation and provides for a minor oversight of the design. It suggests that no costs are involved in terms of hosting equipment. No power reimbursement. No rent for spaces used.
There is an ominous paragraph in the letter that says if the property owner doesn’t comply that tenants will lose all services including elevator phones, alarms, voice, internet and any copper/ds0 originated services. They didn’t say 911, but that would go without saying.
Has anyone heard of this?
What FCC rule requires this?
Telcos have been trying/begging/warning of discontinuing copper for many years. Maybe the political and regulatory environment is currently allowing them to get on with it in some areas?
I don’t think there is an FCC rule requiring the fiber as much as allowing the removal of copper.
Ms. Lady Benjamin PD Cannon of Glencoe, ASCE
6x7 Networks & 6x7 Telecom, LLC
CEO ben@6by7.net
"The only fully end-to-end encrypted global telecommunications company in the world.”
ANNOUNCING: 6x7 GLOBAL MARITIME
I have the opposite story of a commercial property where fiber was
installed, but they refused to remove the 12 pair copper, refused to
remove a massive demarc cabinet, and then threatened the property
owner that he couldn't remove it either.
Pity I didn't know that when I removed it while cleaning up the huge
mess. And yes of course I checked that all the pairs were dead.
ORDER
Adopted: April 28, 2010 Released: May 4, 2010
[..snip..]
1. In this Order, we ask the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service
(Joint Board) to review the Commission~s eligibility, verification, and
outreach rules for the Lifeline and Link Up universal service programs,
which currently provide discounts on telephone service for low-income
customers. Specifically, we ask the Joint Board to recommend any changes
to these aspects of the
Looks like a typo .. and a typo that seems have been copy pasted by so
many providers all over the place.
It must be 19-72A1, not 10-72A1.
Do a Google Search for "Order 10-72A1" and you find tons of hits for that
exact phrase quoted in your email, with 10-72A1, and everything else word
for word, except on a different dot com.
But one hit .. just one of those hits! .. has this instead:
The Sunset of Copper POTS (~Plain Old Telephone Service~) Lines FCC order
19-72A1 (issued August 2, 2019) has officially granted telecommunications
carriers permission to abandon outdated, degrading copper POTs lines.
So, it seems someone typo-ed the 19- as 10-, and everyone else copy-pasta-ed
that. Ah fun.
Essentially, all services must be transitioned to fiber or wireless by August 2nd, 2022.
I'm reading that document and that's not what it appears to say at all.
This seems to be about discontinuing the artificial price restrictions of
2 and 4 wire dry pair loops that LECs resell to service providers, e.g.
competitive DSL providers.
I don't see anything in this order which would mandate that LECs discontinue
their own DSL or POTS services. It would be especially ludicrous since in
many parts of many markets, there is no alternative at this time.
Shane
Essentially, all services must be transitioned to fiber or wireless by August 2nd, 2022.
I’m reading that document and that’s not what it appears to say at all.
As someone who participated in that proceeding, your reading is not totally correct, but much more accurate.
This seems to be about discontinuing the artificial price restrictions of
2 and 4 wire dry pair loops that LECs resell to service providers, e.g.
competitive DSL providers.
It goes a bit further than that. Their prices are no longer regulated, under this particular regime but maybe others, and they can not offer the unbundled copper loop service at all.
A key point is that copper loop Unbundled Network Elements (UNE) are no longer required to be offered in urban areas. Key distinction. In suburban and rural areas, UNE DS0 (copper loops) are still a required element.
I don’t see anything in this order which would mandate that LECs discontinue
their own DSL or POTS services. It would be especially ludicrous since in
many parts of many markets, there is no alternative at this time.
True. And for this reason suburban and rural UNE DS0 are still required.
For what it is worth, we fought against this discontinuance.
Here’s the exact, troubling, language they use in the LEC letter for commercial properties:
"If we do not here from you, or if you do not allow LEC access to your property to complete the fiber upgrade, all services provided to your tenants in your property over Verizon copper wires (voice and data service, as well as, alarm, elevator, and office lines) will be discontinued as part of the copper retirement plans that LEC expects to initiate in the near future. This includes services provided through other providers using LEC’s copper lines.After services are discontinued tenants with voice service provided over copper will lose dial tone, including the ability to dial 911."
Overall, it was poorly written and initially geared towards multi-tenant/residential, not a commercial office tower. They used the words “plan” and “expected”.
