That letter from AT&T, Lumen, Verizon, Frontier or Windstream telling you a POTS line is being "discontinued," "grandfathered," or moved to "special construction pricing" is not junk mail. It is the carrier formally notifying you that copper service to your building is being retired — and that you have a finite window to migrate before the line stops working or the bill triples.
What the notice actually says (translated)
- "Discontinuance" / "retirement" — the carrier is shutting the copper down. You have a hard cutoff date.
- "Grandfathered service" — existing lines may keep working for now, but you cannot add, move, or restore them.
- "Special construction" or "ICB pricing" — the carrier is keeping the line in service but at a price designed to push you off. Expect $200–$1,500+ per line per month.
- "Migration to fiber/IP" — the carrier offers a replacement, but it usually requires new wiring, new panels, and a long install window.
The three steps to take this week
- Inventory every analog line in the building. Pull recent bills and walk the property. Most owners undercount by 30–50% because lines for elevators, fire panels, gate intercoms and old fax machines have been on autopay for years. See how to audit your POTS lines.
- Classify each line by criticality. Life-safety (fire, elevator, area-of-rescue), monitored alarm, and revenue-impacting (POS, fax) lines need a replacement that includes battery backup and 24/7 supervision. Office voice lines can move to SIP.
- Choose a replacement before the disconnect date — not after. Truck rolls during the final weeks of a regional copper sunset are notoriously slow. The POTS Box appliance ships pre-provisioned and installs in under 15 minutes per line.
What if the deadline is already past?
If your line has already been disconnected or repriced to the point of pain, we can usually get a replacement device on-site within days. Tell us your address and line count and we'll respond same business day.