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Consolidated/Fidium tells lawmakers it has notified thousands; lawmakers and 9-1-1 board press company on notice, 9-1-1 access and backup power
Summary
Consolidated Communications (Fidium) told a House committee it has notified more than 12,000 customers nationwide and over 2,800 in Vermont about moves from copper-based voice service to fiber. Lawmakers and the Vermont 9-1-1 Board pressed the company on lapses in outreach to state agencies, whether suspended accounts will still reach 9-1-1 and how customers are told about battery backup needs.
Consolidated Communications (Fidium Fiber) told the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee that it has moved to discontinue legacy copper-based voice service in areas where fiber replacement is available and has notified affected customers under the Federal Communications Commission's streamlined process.
"The company began this process in November 2024 and to date has notified over 12,000 customers of the transition off of older copper networks onto advanced fiber optic networks," Sarah Davis, vice president of market development at Consolidated, said in testimony. She said the Vermont phase has reached more than 2,800 customers and that "approximately 1,100" remained to be transitioned in the current wave.
Davis described the firm's notice cadence: Consolidated sends four months' advance notice by mail, supplements with SMS where available and makes repeated phone calls in the final month. For customers who do not act by the…
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