FCC Halts Automatic Approval of Verizon Plan to End Legacy Landline Service in Virginia

The Federal Communications Commission has halted the automatic approval of Verizon’s request to discontinue legacy landline telephone service in portions of Virginia and eight other states, giving federal regulators additional time to review the proposal.

The FCC announced Sept. 25 that Verizon’s application would not be automatically granted as scheduled on Sept. 26.

The decision means Verizon does not currently have the federal authorization it sought to discontinue the affected legacy voice service.

It does not, however, amount to a final rejection of Verizon’s plan.

The FCC said it requires additional time to complete its review and emphasized that removing the application from the automatic-grant process “is not a final determination on the merits” of Verizon’s request.

Verizon and its affiliates filed the application Aug. 10 under Section 214 of the Communications Act, seeking authority to discontinue residential and business legacy TDM-based voice service in portions of Arizona, Delaware, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia.

The technology includes traditional copper-based telephone infrastructure that remains particularly important in some rural areas where cellular or other replacement services may be limited.

The FCC initially accepted the application for filing and announced Aug. 26 that it would be automatically granted Sept. 26 unless the commission intervened.

Under FCC rules, qualifying applications to discontinue, reduce or impair service can be automatically granted on the 31st day unless the commission notifies the applicant that the grant will not automatically take effect.

That automatic approval has now been stopped while regulators continue reviewing Verizon’s request.

Verizon has said it intends to discontinue the affected service on or after Oct. 23, 2026, subject to receiving the required FCC authorization.

The proceeding is listed as WC Docket No. 26-227.

Cline Welcomes FCC Decision

U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, whose 6th Congressional District includes much of the Shenandoah Valley, welcomed the FCC’s action Monday.

“I applaud the FCC for their decision to pause any changes to Virginia’s copper-based landline service, following my letter to Chairman Carr,” Cline said.

Cline’s office announced Sept. 21 that he had sent a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr urging the commission to review Verizon’s proposed discontinuance.

Cline raised concerns about what eliminating the existing service could mean for residents of rural and mountainous communities where cellular coverage and other alternatives are not always available.

“The Sixth District is home to many mountainous and rural communities where reliable communication is essential,” Cline said following the FCC decision. “Ending copper-based landline service before dependable alternatives are widely available could leave families without a reliable way to contact emergency services or stay connected with loved ones, particularly in areas with limited cellular coverage and frequent weather-related outages.”

Cline said large portions of his district lack reliable cellular service and that some residents still lack alternative options.

He said he shares constituents’ concerns about the potential effects on public safety and basic communications and intends to continue working with the FCC as it considers Verizon’s request.

Rural Communities Raise Concerns

The issue has also generated concern at the local level.

Clarke County officials said earlier this month that residents contacted the county because they still depend on landline telephone service at homes where cellular and fiber service are unavailable.

County officials planned to submit comments asking that existing copper lines remain in operation until a viable alternative is available to affected households.

The concerns illustrate one of the central issues facing regulators as telephone companies transition away from older copper networks: whether customers have dependable replacement service available before the existing network is shut down.

For residents in areas with strong cellular coverage or fiber connections, the transition may have relatively little effect. But the situation can be considerably different in rural and mountainous portions of the Shenandoah Valley, where terrain can create cellular dead zones and broadband infrastructure has not reached every home.

Reliable telephone service can become particularly important during storms and extended power outages.

What Happens Now?

For affected Verizon customers, the FCC’s action means the Sept. 26 automatic approval did not take effect.

Verizon’s application remains pending before the commission.

The FCC can continue reviewing the request before determining whether Verizon should receive authority to discontinue the service. The agency’s Sept. 25 notice did not establish a new deadline for making that decision.

The FCC specifically cautioned that stopping automatic approval should not be interpreted as a final decision on whether Verizon will eventually be allowed to discontinue the service.

For now, however, the FCC has not approved the proposed discontinuance, and the federal review continues.