{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Citizens Utility Board","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org","title":"CUB Q&A: AT&T letters announce end of landline service in 2027 | Citizens Utility Board","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"7uW0uXGQlA\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/cub-qa-att-letters-announce-end-of-landline-service-in-2027\/\">CUB Q&#038;A: AT&#038;T letters announce end of landline service in 2027<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/cub-qa-att-letters-announce-end-of-landline-service-in-2027\/embed\/#?secret=7uW0uXGQlA\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;CUB Q&#038;A: AT&#038;T letters announce end of landline service in 2027&#8221; &#8212; Citizens Utility Board\" data-secret=\"7uW0uXGQlA\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","description":"AT&amp;T has been mailing letters to customers announcing that it is ending \u201cAT&amp;T Residential Local Service,\u201d its traditional copper landline service, a.k.a. plain old telephone service. Here\u2019s our Q&amp;A on what\u2019s happening: What do the letters mean? For over a decade, the telecom giant has been making moves to phase out landline telephone service across the country. These letters represent the latest step in that process.\u00a0 One letter, to current customers of AT&amp;T\u2019s traditional landline phone service, informs them that their service will be discontinued \u201con or after March 15, 2027.&#8221; Another letter\u2013some people have reported receiving both\u2013informs customers that as of Oct. 15, 2025, traditional landline phone service is no longer being offered to new customers and current customers cannot make changes to their existing service. (This also means current customers who move cannot get a traditional landline when they re-establish service in a new location.)\u00a0 Can AT&amp;T do this? Yes, unfortunately. The company has now received approval from state and federal officials to move forward on ending its landline service in Illinois.\u00a0 For many customers traditional landlines have served as a reliable, affordable connection to family and friends as well as necessities such as 911 service, home security systems and medical monitoring devices. So CUB worked for years to block AT&amp;T from deregulating local phone service. Here\u2019s a brief history:\u00a0 AT&amp;T\u2019s earliest attempts to deregulate local phone service began in a case at the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) in 2006. That led to a legal settlement between AT&amp;T and CUB that created a series of low-cost, safe-harbor plans branded the \u201cConsumer\u2019s Choice\u201d plans.\u00a0\u00a0 The fight then shifted to the Illinois General Assembly, where, for about a decade, CUB and other consumer advocates stopped AT&amp;T from ending the \u201ccarrier of last resort\u201d provision in the Illinois Telecommunications Act. That provision required AT&amp;T to offer landline service to customers in its Illinois territory who wanted it.\u00a0 However, in 2017 the General Assembly passed a rewrite of the Telecom Act that gave the green light to end landline service, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). (Note: In 2022, AT&amp;T was fined $23 million by federal authorities for using bribery to pass the 2017 legislation.) Also in 2017, AT&amp;T successfully lobbied to end the Telecom Act\u2019s requirement that it offer the low-cost Consumer\u2019s Choice plans. In the years since, AT&amp;T has\u00a0 significantly increased the cost of plain old telephone service, driving more people off landlines. This year, the FCC gave final approval to AT&amp;T\u2019s request to discontinue its status of being Carrier of Last Resort in Illinois, leading to the letters sent this fall. How many customers does this impact? These developments only impact AT&amp;T landline customers. As of June of 2024, Illinois still had about 552,000 landlines\u2013many, if not most, of those being with AT&amp;T.\u00a0\u00a0 What are my options for phone service if I lose my landline? You could replace your service with digital phone service, also called Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), through AT&amp;T or another telecom company. You could also opt for cellular (wireless) service and ask to port your number to your cell phone.\u00a0 What should [&hellip;]","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ATT-landline-251103_Redacted-copy-610x800.png","thumbnail_width":610,"thumbnail_height":800}