Copper Retirement Notification Responsibilities
As an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC) doing business in Maine, Maine Commission staff request that all ILECs retiring copper telephone and broadband services to customers in their service territory please submit responses to the following questions in the Commission's Case Management System in Docket 2024-00034.
Commission Staff Questions for ILECs Regarding Copper Retirement
- Please share what geographic areas in your service area your company plans to retire telecommunications services served by copper?
- Please provide all the geographic areas in your company's service area that have already been retired copper.
- Will the copper service being retired transition to fiber services or some other kind of technology?
- Please provide an explanation of what becomes of the retired copper once the transition to fiber or other technology is implemented. If the copper is left in place, does the company have a plan to remove or reattach the retired copper in the event of downed lines due to severe storms?
- If copper telephone service is being retired, will all customers previously served by copper have the same access to the new service such as fiber?
- If the company will not serve all existing or new customers with copper or fiber, how does the company plan to meet all of its Provider of Last Resort (POLR) and eligible telecommunications carrier obligations?
- Will customers see an increase in the cost of their POLR service as a result of this change in technology?
- Will customers be required to purchase or rent additional equipment to maintain POLR service or gain access to broadband services under the copper retirement transition?
- What kind of notification is your company providing customers about the copper retirement transition?
- Please share the cost of POLR telephone service on copper and the anticipated cost of POLR service using fiber or the new technology being provided?
- Please share any other details you may find useful about the copper retirement transition.
Make a Case Filing Regarding Copper Retirement in Docket 2024-00034
Please file the above responses in Docket 2024-00034. Once logged in to the Commission's Case Management System (CMS), please file your responses in the existing case file using the following prompts.
| CMS Fields | Recommended Response |
| Description of Filing: | Copper Retirement Notification |
| Utility/Company Name: | Click on the “Add” button under search for your entity and click on select in the toggle box in front of the entities name |
| Attach Public Document | Please attach your cover letter and response to Commission Staff questions as a PDF file. |
Support
If you need assistance registering with CMS, please contact the Clerk of the Commission at