The California Public Utilities Commission is reviewing longstanding rules that require certain telephone companies to serve all customers in their designated areas, a move that has sparked concern among rural residents who say landlines remain their only reliable link to the outside world.
The process, known as Rulemaking 24-06-012, was launched in June 2024 following the CPUC’s unanimous decision to reject AT&T’s request to withdraw from its obligations as a "Carrier of Last Resort" (COLR). These rules, in place since 1996, ensure that at least one company must offer basic phone service in every part of the state—even in remote and unprofitable areas.
The Carrier of Last Resort must provide basic service, but according to the CPUC, basic service doesn’t have to be provided via a traditional copper landline, it can use any type of technology.
While California, New York, and Illinois maintain strict COLR rules, twenty states have dropped landline service.
Michael Matthay, a Mendocino County resident who lives on the edge of the Jackson State Demonstration Forest on the Mendocino Coast, said he received a CPUC notice about the rule-making in March that appeared benign. But he immediately suspected what was at stake.
“AT&T is trying to drop the landlines, and that's the only communication I have with the outside world—period,” said Matthey, who is in his 80s and shares his property with a legally blind tenant. “He’s been here 15 years, and it’s his only way too.”
In many parts of Mendocino cell service is non-existent. “There’s a whole dead zone between Caspar and Mendocino—there’s just no cell service, period,” Matthay said, citing one example. “So the landlines are really important for emergency vehicles and stuff—if I want to call 911.”
Landlines are also essential for everyday communication with friends and family.
The CPUC's review aims to modernize the COLR framework, possibly redefining what qualifies as "basic service" and whether alternatives such as mobile phones or VoIP should qualify. The Commission has held across the state to gather public input, with the last hearing scheduled for May 13, 2025 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. This hearing will be virtual.
Matthay is worried that not enough rural residents will make their voices heard. “People need to write letters to the CPUC or submit a comment online and explain how important it is to preserve access to landlines,” he urged.
Letters may be mailed to the CPUC Public Advisor at 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102, or submitted online via the CPUC website.
