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Committee advances bill easing carrier‑of‑last‑resort rules, aims to speed move from copper to modern broadband
Summary
Senate File 2224, intended to give providers a regulated 'off‑ramp' from copper wireline service where affordable VoIP alternatives exist, passed the Commerce committee after testimony from Lumen, Minnesota Telecom Alliance, and the Department of Commerce raising consumer‑protection and mapping concerns.
Senator Nick Rasmussen moved Senate File 2224 as amended and the Minnesota Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee voted to recommend the bill for referral to the Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment and Climate Committee on March 20, 2025.
Rasmussen told the committee the bill reforms the carrier of last resort obligation by allowing incumbent providers to be relieved of the duty to maintain copper-based service only when specific criteria are met. Those criteria include FCC broadband maps showing an internet alternative at a household’s location, granular location-fabric data, consumer notice and multiple communications from providers, affordability protections (including Minnesota Lifeline credits), and a process for consumers to appeal to the Public Utilities Commission. The bill also includes a PUC clawback mechanism allowing reinstatement of carrier‑of‑last‑resort obligations if service outcomes are unsatisfactory.
Industry witnesses told the committee the bill responds to a changing market and specific operational pressures. Dana Bailey, state and local government affairs director for Lumen Technologies (CenturyLink), said copper theft and the high cost of maintaining aging wireline networks make continued investment inefficient; Lumen and Minnesota Telecom Alliance members invested about $300 million in fiber deployment in 2024, Bailey said. John Ardoino, operations director for Lumen in Minnesota, described 34 large copper-theft incidents over a three‑month period that disrupted customers and required repeated restoration work.
Tom Hansen of the Minnesota Telecom Alliance said many member companies are committed to rural service but argued Minnesota is behind neighboring states in bringing landline regulation into alignment with newer broadband technologies.
Sam Smith of the Minnesota Department of Commerce testified that more than 50,000 Minnesotans still rely on copper wireline service and that mapping data and the lack of regulatory oversight of VoIP providers remain concerns. The department recommended stronger guardrails: improved mapping verification, requirements to ensure VoIP providers are accountable to the PUC, plain-language notice and appeal procedures for consumers, and community-level outreach when entire regions are expected to transition.
Rasmussen and multiple members said the transition is already underway: he cited an annual attrition of about 15% of remaining copper customers and reliability problems arising from theft and delayed repairs. The committee approved referral to the Energy Committee; members said the author and agencies will continue negotiations on technical and consumer-protection elements.
