Active copper retirements across 19 states

Your building's copper lines
are being disconnected

AT&T has filed copper retirement notices across 19 states — 1,711 wire centers and counting. Fire alarms stop monitoring. Elevator phones go dead. Security disconnects. The 90-day clock is ticking.

Get your free copper audit See what's at risk
June 2026
AT&T wire center shutdowns begin
90 days
New FCC disconnect notice period
$2,700
What some POTS lines cost per month
15-50M
POTS lines still active in the U.S.
Critical systems

Every system that stops working

Most building owners think copper retirement only affects desk phones. The real exposure is in life safety systems that run silently in the background.

Fire alarm panel

Your DACT dials the monitoring station over copper. When the line dies, the monitoring station never gets the call. You fail your next NFPA 72 inspection.

1–2 lines · Code violation · Failed inspection

Elevator emergency phones

Every cab needs a working emergency phone per ASME A17.1. Lose the line and the elevator gets flagged or shut down at the next inspection.

1 line per cab · Shutdown order · Liability

Area of refuge phones

ADA-required two-way emergency phones in stairwells. Each one is a separate POTS line most owners don't even know they have.

1–4 lines · ADA violation · Legal liability

Security & burglar alarm

Your intrusion panel dials out to the monitoring center. No copper line means no alert when someone breaks in. Building goes unmonitored.

1 line · Unmonitored · Insurance risk

Building entry & gate

Lobby intercoms, gate callboxes, and parking garage entry systems still dial over POTS. Residents and tenants can't buzz visitors in.

1–2 lines · Access disruption · Complaints

Fax & point-of-sale

Medical offices, law firms, and financial services still transmit by fax. Legacy POS terminals dial out over copper for payment backup.

1+ lines · Revenue loss · HIPAA risk
The math

The savings are immediate

A typical 15-story condo with 3 elevators, fire panel, security system, intercom, and 2 area of refuge phones.

Current copper POTS

Fire alarm (1-2 lines)$150 – $500/mo
Elevator phones (x3)$450 – $1,500/mo
Security alarm$150 – $500/mo
Building entry$150 – $500/mo
Area of refuge (x2)$300 – $1,000/mo
Total$1,200 – $4,000/mo

CopperAlerts replacement

Fire alarm (cellular)$30 – $45/mo
Elevator phones (x3)$90 – $180/mo
Security alarm$30 – $45/mo
Building entry$30 – $45/mo
Area of refuge (x2)$60 – $120/mo
Total$240 – $435/mo
Annual savings: $11,500 – $42,000+ per building
Most buildings see 70-85% cost reduction on POTS lines
Solutions

The right fix for each system

We don't sell one box. We audit every line and match the right technology to each system in your building.

Cellular POTS-in-a-box

$30 – $60/mo per line

Plugs into the existing phone jack. Your fire panel, elevator phone, or alarm sees a normal analog line — but the signal routes over 4G/5G cellular. Plug and play, battery backup built in.

Best for: Fire alarm, elevator, security, entry, area of refuge

NFPA 72 · ASME A17.1 · UL listed · CA Fire Marshal

Cellular communicator

$20 – $45/mo per line

Replaces the DACT board inside the fire alarm panel with a purpose-built cellular or dual-path communicator. Talks directly to the monitoring station. Cheapest option for compatible panels.

Best for: Fire alarm panels with direct cellular support

UL 864 · NFPA 72 · Panel-specific compatibility

VoIP / SIP trunking

$15 – $30/mo per line

Routes calls over your internet connection. Excellent for office voice lines and fax. But fire alarm DACTs and elevator phones can't handshake properly — the signal corrupts.

Best for: Office voice lines, fax with adapter

Never for life safety
No life safety certification
Important: Standard VoIP will fail your fire alarm inspection. Fire alarm and elevator systems require certified cellular or dual-path communicators to pass NFPA 72 and ASME A17.1 compliance. Don't let a vendor tell you VoIP is "good enough" — it isn't.

Which solution fits which system?

SystemBest solutionWhy
Fire alarm panelCellular communicator or POTS-in-a-boxMust pass NFPA 72. VoIP fails inspection.
Elevator phoneCellular POTS-in-a-boxNeeds analog dial tone. No rewiring the shaft.
Security alarmCellular communicator or POTS-in-a-boxSame as fire alarm logic.
Area of refugeCellular POTS-in-a-boxADA two-way voice + battery backup required.
Building entry / gatePOTS-in-a-box or VoIPNot life safety. Either works.
Office voice linesVoIP / SIPCheapest, most features, no compliance needs.
Fax / POSVoIP w/ ATA or POTS-in-a-boxVoIP for most. POTS-in-a-box for medical/legal.
How it works

Three steps. Zero downtime.

01

Free copper audit

We identify every POTS line in your building — fire, elevator, security, entry, area of refuge, fax. We show you what each line costs and when your carrier plans to disconnect it.

02

Solution design

We match the right technology to each system. Cellular for life safety, VoIP for voice. One proposal covering every line with projected savings and compliance documentation.

03

Seamless cutover

Professional installation with zero downtime. Your fire panel, elevator phones, and alarms keep working throughout. We handle inspection compliance documentation.

Compliance

Every certification that matters

Our solutions are certified to pass inspection. We provide the documentation your building inspector requires.

NFPA 72
National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code — fire alarm communication
ASME A17.1
Safety Code for Elevators — elevator emergency phone
UL 864
Fire alarm equipment listing and certification
UL 2900
Cybersecurity for fire alarm communicators (NFPA 72 2025)
CA Fire Marshal
California Fire Marshal certification
FCC Compliant
Meets all FCC requirements for POTS replacement
By industry

How this affects your building

Hotels & hospitality

A typical hotel has 4-8 elevator cabs, a fire alarm panel, security system, parking gate, and possibly area of refuge phones across multiple stairwells. That's 8-15 POTS lines you may not know you're paying for. If any of them go down, your building fails its fire inspection and your elevator gets flagged by the inspector. Guest safety, franchise compliance, and insurance all depend on these systems working.

Condos & HOAs

Condo towers in South Florida are the single largest category of buildings still on POTS. A 20-story tower can easily have 3-4 elevator phones, a fire panel, lobby intercom, gate callbox, and area of refuge phones — 8-12 lines costing the association $1,500-$4,000/month in copper fees that are rising every quarter. Board members are often unaware until the AT&T bill spikes or an inspector flags the communication pathway.

Hospitals & medical offices

Healthcare facilities have the most POTS lines per building — fire alarms, multiple elevators, security, nurse call systems, fax (still required for many insurance and pharmacy communications), and medical alert devices. Compliance is non-negotiable. A hospital with a non-functional fire alarm communication path faces immediate regulatory action. Our solutions maintain HIPAA compliance for fax transmissions and meet all Joint Commission requirements.

Property management

If you manage multiple buildings, the copper problem multiplies. A portfolio of 10 buildings could have 80-120 POTS lines across fire alarms, elevators, security, and entry systems — costing $12,000-$40,000/month combined. We work with property managers to do a full portfolio audit, prioritize by disconnect urgency, and roll out replacements building by building with zero disruption to tenants.

K-12 schools & universities

Multi-building campuses often have POTS lines running to fire panels, elevators, emergency blue light phones, and area of refuge phones in every building. School districts with 20+ campuses can have hundreds of copper lines, many of which haven't been audited in years. Some lines are being billed but aren't even connected to anything — "ghost lines" that cost money for nothing.

Senior living & assisted living

Senior living facilities face the highest stakes. Fire alarms, elevators, nurse call systems, personal emergency response systems (PERS), and security all depend on working communication lines. Residents' lives depend on these systems reaching help when called. These facilities are also heavily regulated — AHCA compliance in Florida requires documented, functional life safety communication at all times.

Check your area

Is your area affected?

Enter your area code to see if your carrier has filed copper retirement notices.

Free audit

Schedule your free copper audit

We'll identify every POTS line in your building, calculate your total copper spend, and show you the disconnect timeline — at no cost.

Or call 305-482-1121 · pjbuhler@gmail.com

Affected states

Copper retirement is happening in 19 states

AT&T has filed copper retirement notices covering 1,711 wire centers. If your building is in any of these states, your POTS lines are on the retirement schedule.

Florida Texas California Illinois Ohio Michigan Georgia North Carolina Tennessee Alabama Indiana Wisconsin South Carolina Louisiana Kentucky Mississippi Kansas Nevada Oklahoma Arkansas

Based in Miami, serving nationwide. Check if your building is affected →

Resources

Start here

The most important guides for building owners facing copper retirement.

Technology

POTS in a Box: cellular POTS replacement devices compared

Ooma AirDial, DataRemote, RCN POTS Link, Granite EPIK, MetTel — pricing, features, and which fits your building.

 Nationwide

Who replaces copper lines for fire alarms, elevators & ATMs?

How POTS replacement works, bundled monitoring, and why your phone company can't help.

 Breaking

FCC copper retirement mandate 2025-2026

March 2026 ruling removes barriers. Your disconnect notice could arrive sooner than expected.

 Business phones

Cloud phone systems: replace your copper business lines

UCaaS providers compared, pricing, and how cloud phones fit alongside POTS replacement.
See all articles →

Frequently asked questions

What is POTS and why is it going away?
POTS stands for Plain Old Telephone Service — the traditional copper phone lines that have been around since Alexander Graham Bell. Carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen are retiring copper infrastructure because it's expensive to maintain and outdated. The FCC removed the requirement for carriers to maintain these lines, and costs have skyrocketed 200-400% as carriers push customers to migrate.
Will my fire alarm still work if I switch to VoIP?
No — and this is the single biggest mistake building owners make. Standard VoIP corrupts the signal your fire alarm panel sends to the monitoring station. You will fail your NFPA 72 inspection. Fire alarms require a certified cellular or dual-path communicator, not generic VoIP.
Do I need to replace my fire alarm panel or elevator equipment?
In most cases, no. A POTS-in-a-box device plugs into the existing phone jack and emulates a normal analog line. Your fire panel and elevator phone don't know anything has changed. The equipment stays, only the communication path changes.
How much does POTS replacement cost?
Cellular POTS replacement typically runs $30-60 per line per month — compared to $150-500+ per line on copper. Most buildings see 70-85% cost reduction. A building with 8 POTS lines paying $2,000/month on copper can drop to $300-400/month.
What happens if I do nothing?
When your carrier retires your wire center, your POTS lines stop working. Period. No forwarding, no grace period. Your fire alarm can't reach the monitoring station, your elevator phones go dead, and your security system goes offline. You'll fail inspection, face potential fines, and carry significant liability exposure if an incident occurs.
How long does the switch take?
Installation is typically 30-60 minutes per line. For a building with 8 lines, the entire cutover can be completed in a single day with zero downtime — we run both systems in parallel before disconnecting the old copper line.
Contact

Get in touch

Ready to audit your building? Have questions? Reach out anytime.

Phone

305-482-1121

Email

pjbuhler@gmail.com