AT&T, the primary telephone provider for much of Plumas County, is seeking to discontinue its landline service throughout a large swath of rural California.
In a Jan. 22 notice to customers, the multinational telecommunications company announced it has requested permission from the California Public Utilities Commission to “remove <its> obligation under California law” to provide traditional landline telephone service in a portion of its territory that includes Plumas County.
Approval would eliminate the landlines that are often essential for rural and elderly customers with no internet access or alternatives to AT&T.
“Our AT&T landline is truly our lifeline and our only way to receive safety advisories about weather events and other public safety warnings, including notifications about wildfire emergencies and evacuations,” said Curtis Lomis, of Feather Financial Tax and Insurance Services in Quincy.
The CPUC will hold a series of in-person and virtual forums to allow customers of AT&T to provide input. A live video broadcast March 19 will allow remote participants to make comments.
“After decades of being a monopoly, AT&T now wants to abandon the service.”
Linda Walker, Cromberg resident
In one of two requests formally filed with the CPUC Dec. 14, 2023, AT&T asked to be relieved of its obligations as a carrier of last resort. If the requests are approved, the company would no longer be required to offer landline telephones in basic service areas. These include services such as Lifeline rates for eligible customers, free access to 911, telecommunications relay services, and directory and operator services, according to the CPUC.
The other request seeks approval for AT&T to give up its designation as a telephone company that receives federal financial assistance to provide affordable telephone service to customers at all income levels.
Proposal alarms local residents
For residents of Meadow Valley, Lake Davis and other rural Plumas County communities, AT&T’s proposal would mean not just occasional dropped calls, but no landline calls whatsoever. If AT&T’s proposals are approved, those with only internet could be unable to communicate if internet access is disrupted, unavailable or off due to technical difficulties, said Adele Myers, who lives in Meadow Valley.
Then there are places where mountain topography blocks cell phone access. Without landlines or internet, these residents will be unable to communicate, Myers said. People will have no way to send or receive information. During emergencies and weather events, landlines have served as essential sources for sharing critical information.
Jeanne Graham, of J & J’s Grizzly Store and Camping Resort, is among those without cell coverage. “There is no other option that I know of to an AT&T landline,” she said.
Cromberg resident Linda Walker wants to keep her landline for safety reasons and because cell service isn’t always dependable. “After decades of being a monopoly, AT&T now wants to abandon the service.”
In addition to landlines and cell phones, AT&T is the only carrier for emergency 911 service for much of Plumas County. While equipment for a next-generation 911 system is in place, it has not been connected, said Mike Grant, communications director for the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office.
The current 911 system has not been entirely reliable, he added. It was offline over 50 times last year, and has already been offline nine times in 2024.
“911 service in Plumas County is worse today than it’s ever been since it came along in the 1970s,” Grant said.
The Plumas County Board of Supervisors agreed Feb. 6 to draft a letter to the CPUC regarding AT&T’s proposal.
AT&T did not respond to numerous attempts by The Plumas Sun to reach a spokesperson to respond to questions.
Ways to contact AT&T
Walker and others are urging AT&T customers to contact the company and share their opinions. In-person forums for public input started Feb. 6 in Clovis and continue Feb. 22 in Ukiah and March 14 in Indio.
A March 19 virtual public forum will be a live video broadcast with both English and Spanish captions via webcast. Participants can make public comments by calling 1-800-857-1917 and entering passcode 6032788#. Wait times depend on the number of speakers in the public comment queue. The operator will call on participants when it is their turn to speak. The public forums will be recorded and archived for future viewing, a CPUC spokesman said.
AT&T accepts comments via written letter to CPUC Public Advisor, 505 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102.
California Public Utilities Commission
The CPUC is also accepting comments submitted via email at public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov and via toll-free phone at 866-849-8390. It also accepts comments via written letter to CPUC Public Advisor, 505 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102. Additional information about commenting on the AT&T proposal is available here.
AT&T has attempted to soften the potential blow to rural and elderly customers by clarifying its requests to the CPUC. Its application seeks removal of “outdated regulations” in California, it said in a statement to CBS13 of Sacramento. AT&T wants to “help the limited remaining landline consumers transition to modern, alternative services to replace their current outdated ones,” the statement continues.
And it offered this reassurance: “All AT&T California customers will continue to receive their traditional landline services until an alternative service becomes available by AT&T or another provider.”
CPUC approval would not necessarily mean that no carriers would provide service, according to the commission’s public statement. It simply would not require the service. “Other outcomes are possible, such as a carrier other than AT&T volunteering to become the carrier of last resort,” the CPUC notice states.
The commission could also deny AT&T’s proposal. It set a high bar for approval of AT&T’s request to be relieved of its federally required commitment to provide high quality and affordable telephone service to customers at all income levels in specific geographic areas. AT&T must demonstrate that another eligible telecommunications carrier can provide that support, the commission said in its public statement.
