Although AT&T said the copper theft only affected one homeowner’s landline, the theft has also impacted AT&T’s ability to offer service to approximately 60 business locations in eight buildings in the area, although AT&T does not currently provide service to any of those locations. The carrier said alternative service is available to those impacted locations in the form of AT&T Phone – Advanced for Business, as well as mobile service from the major wireless carriers, among other options.
In a recent FCC filing, AT&T Services, acting on behalf of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company (AT&T Texas), requested permission from the FCC to permanently discontinue TDM‑based Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) to a single residential customer in the Forrest Lake area of Houston, Texas
The outage began on May 25, 2025, when 872 feet of copper cable were stolen from a maintenance hole located at Bingle Rd. and West Tidwell Rd. The theft caused the line to fail for one subscriber who depended on legacy local service. AT&T estimated that replacing the stolen cable for just one customer would cost approximately $25,000
A&T told the FCC the copper theft was unforeseeable and fell outside its control. Given that the customer has access to AT&T Phone – Advanced, an IP-based voice service deemed an adequate substitute by regulators, AT&T stated it will not restore copper-based service to the individual, citing a lack of cost-effectiveness and broader network modernization goals.
In its filing, AT&T emphasized that maintaining costly copper infrastructure to support just one user reflects poor allocation of resources, especially as it retires legacy copper across its footprint ahead of a planned exit by 2029.
On July 1, 2025, AT&T formally notified the affected customer by letter that it will not restore the POTS line, instead offering AT&T Phone – Advanced for approximately $45/month. AT&T also noted that mobile voice options from major carriers are available to the customer.
Similar Incident: One Customer Denied Copper Service in California
In a related California case, AT&T reportedly denied restoration of landline service to an elderly customer whose line had been disabled due to copper theft. Local news coverage highlighted a 95-year-old woman who went without landline service for two months because AT&T would not repair the copper infrastructure. Public pressure and media intervention eventually led to the line being restored after two days
In 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission rejected AT&T’s attempt to withdraw from being the “carrier of last resort,” reinforcing regulatory expectations that telecom providers continue serving customers, particularly in low-profit or underserved areas.
