Assembly committee advances bill to phase out copper landlines with public-safety safeguards

Assemblymember Tina McKenner, author of AB 470, told the Communications and Conveyance Committee on the California State Assembly that the bill would create a “framework to protect not well served areas of the state while facilitating investments in modern telecommunications” as providers phase out copper landlines.

AB 470 would require the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to certify that a populated area has at least three comparatively priced alternative phone services (one of which must be a wired option that meets defined minimum connectivity standards) before a carrier of last resort (COLR) could receive relief from its obligation to serve that area. The bill also creates a public challenge process and requires additional private-sector investments to support emergency communications modernization, the author said.

Why it matters: Supporters argued the bill responds to technological and safety gaps in old copper networks, while opponents said it risks cutting off households — especially in wildfire- and disaster-prone or remote communities — before adequate alternatives are in place.

Assemblymember McKenner described the human consequences she said…