County pushes back on Verizon’s copper landline phaseout

CATSKILL―There was a time when copper connections were the cat’s meow of communications, but they are apparently going the way of the historically heroic messenger pigeon and maybe very soon.

Not so fast, say Greene County Legislature members. They have given support to a resolution resisting a major change in landline phone service provided by Verizon, possibly by the end of next month

The resolution passed unanimously on October 13, during a meeting of the Public Safety Committee, awaiting full board backing this week.

Legislator James Thorington, who chairs the committee, brought the matter to the legislative floor after hearing concerns from constituents. He was joined by fellow mountaintop lawmaker Daryl Legg, quickly gaining support from colleagues.

As the resolution explains, Verizon has announced its intention to discontinue traditional copper landline telephone service in certain areas, “with a proposed shut-off date of November 30, 2026.”

Those areas include parts of New York, Washington, D.C., and eight other states. The company maintains that it will not disconnect a copper line until an approved fiber or wireless replacement is physically available at that location.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has not yet given Verizon its blessing.

“Numerous residents of Greene County, particularly those living in rural, mountainous and outlying areas, rely on copper landlines as their only dependable form of communication due to inconsistent and unreliable access to cellular phone services,” according to the resolution.

Greene County, the resolution states, “frequently experiences extended power outages-sometimes lasting several days or weeks-during which copper landline service continues to function without the need for household electricity, providing a critical lifeline for emergency communication.”

“The discontinuation of copper landline service would leave many households, especially those in hard-to-reach areas, without any reliable means of contacting emergency responders during storms, natural disasters, and infrastructure failures,” the resolution further states.

The proposed discontinuation “poses a particular danger to senior residents who may not use, understand, or have access to cellular phones or internet-based communication methods, and for whom traditional landlines remain essential to their safety and independence,” as per the resolution.

Noted in the resolution is also the Senior Call-In Safety Program, operated by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, which provides daily welfare check-in calls to participating seniors, “many of whom depend on traditional landlines as their primary and most reliable form of communication.”

“The termination of copper landline service threatens the functionality and effectiveness of this vital public-safety program and places vulnerable residents at increased risk,” the resolution states.

Greene County, therefore, “opposes Verizon’s proposed discontinuation of copper landline telephone service… unless and until reliable, resilient, and fully accessible alternative communication methods are available to all residents, regardless of geography, income, or technological ability.”

Further, the legislature “calls upon federal and state representatives to advocate on behalf of Greene County residents and protect the continuity of copper landline service for all communities lacking reliable alternatives,” the resolution states.

Verizon is applauding the transition, pointing to the increasing costs and incessant repairs for an aging system on one end, along with greater speeds and improved performance on the other.

It is too swift and premature for some.

“This is crazy,” Thorington said of the deadline. “There are a lot of people who don’t even have fiber to their house yet,” a worry echoed by County Administrator Shaun Groden.

“Some folks have to stand on one leg with tin foil on their head to get any service, even with fiber,” Groden says. “We’re asking Verizon to hold off until more research is done to offer better options or maintain copper.”

Verizon provides a free battery backup device when transitioning customers from legacy copper landlines to fiber-optic (Fios) or wireless infrastructure. But with rechargeable devices lasting only about 24 hours, they are not a viable long-term solution for some, and raising concerns about what would happen during an extended power outage.

“This is a serious issue with a lot of our seniors,” said Legislator Sherry True of Cairo. “A lot of them are getting nervous.”

Legg echoed those concerns, particularly for older residents, while lamenting the possibility that traditional copper phone lines could soon become the next extinct messenger.

“This isn’t a good idea. If you are going to take something away, you have to have something to replace it that is as good or better,” Legg said.

“Cell service in many places already sucks. What about the dead spots in Lanesville and Westkill? What’s going to happen there? It’s not always good to get rid of the old ways,” Legg said. “Jeepers.”