If you still have a copper landline or DSL internet, there is a good chance it is going away. The big phone companies are shutting down the old copper wire networks that have carried phone calls and DSL for decades, and many customers are finding out by letter. This guide explains what is happening, who is affected, and how to get dependable internet in place before your old service is cut off, without a contract, a credit check or a technician appointment.
Need internet now? See RETNetworks plans: 5G home and business internet from $64.97 a month, router included.
Even the FAA is getting grounded by old phone lines
If you have flown this year, you may have sat through it. Several times in 2026 the FAA issued ground stops because the telecom lines that connect air traffic control facilities failed. In August a telecom outage at the Minneapolis air route traffic control center halted flights in its airspace and contributed to more than 1,000 cancellations nationwide. In September a failed data circuit at the Philadelphia radar facility, plus a cut backup cable, caused ground stops at Philadelphia, Newark, JFK, Teterboro and Boston. And in Dallas, the FAA said outdated infrastructure was to blame for a roughly five-hour ground stop at DFW and Love Field after repeated failures of a phone company's data line.
Air traffic control depends on lines leased from local phone companies, the same kind of aging wired network many homes and small businesses still rely on. If a single failed line can ground flights across the country, it is worth asking what happens to your home internet, your card reader or your parent's medical alert when the old line under your street fails. The answer is the same one the experts keep coming back to: do not depend on a single old wire. Have a modern connection, and a backup.
What is happening to copper landlines and DSL?
AT&T has said it plans to retire the large majority of its copper network outside California by the end of 2029. In 2025 the FCC streamlined its rules to make copper retirement faster, and AT&T has since been approved to stop service in a large share of its copper footprint. Other major providers are retiring copper too.
The reasons are simple: copper is expensive to keep running (AT&T has said it spends billions a year maintaining it), it is slow compared with modern broadband, and old copper lines are a target for theft and damage. The companies are steering customers toward fiber where it exists, and toward wireless service everywhere else.
Who is affected?
- DSL internet customers. DSL runs over the same copper phone line, so when the copper goes, DSL goes with it.
- Traditional landline customers, including homes that use a landline for a medical alert, home alarm or fax machine.
- Small businesses whose card terminal, alarm or back-office internet still runs over an old phone line.
- Seniors and rural households, who are the most likely to still depend on copper and the least likely to have fiber nearby.
If you have received a letter from your phone company about your service ending or changing, read it closely. It will usually list a date and the replacement the company is offering.
What are your options?
When copper is retired you generally have three choices for internet:
- Fiber, if a provider has built it to your street. It is excellent where available, but many areas around Santa Rosa and Escambia counties do not have it yet, and installs can take weeks.
- Cable, if your address is wired for it. That usually means a contract, equipment rental fees and promotional pricing that goes up.
- Cellular (4G LTE or 5G) home internet, which uses the same towers as your phone. It needs no wires to your house, can be set up the same day, and goes with you if you move.
Consumer groups have raised a fair concern: wireless service can be less reliable in some rural spots than the old copper line was. That is why the kind of wireless service you choose matters.
Why RETNetworks is the right replacement
- No contracts and no credit checks. Rent month to month and cancel whenever you want.
- Router included. No equipment purchase and no hardware fee. The router is part of your plan price.
- Free self-install. Plug it in and you are online. No waiting for a technician.
- Unlimited data at speeds up to 300 Mbps on the primary SIM, with no data caps and no throttling.
- Sure Connect multi-carrier failover on Advanced plans. If one carrier's signal weakens, your router switches across more than 600 carrier networks, which answers the reliability concern head-on.
- It moves with you. Use it at home, at the shop, at a job site or in the RV.
- 7-day money-back guarantee, so trying it is low risk.
- 5% military discount for active duty and veterans with code USA at checkout.
- Local. We are based right here and we serve Santa Rosa and Escambia counties.
Which plan fits you?
- Replacing home DSL: 5G Home, Business & Travel Router, Standard plan, from $64.97/month.
- Need maximum reliability (rural home, medical devices, business payments): 5G Advanced plan with Sure Connect, $98.25/month.
- Caught in a gap between your old service ending and your new one starting: Daily Internet Rental from $17/day.
- Business that needs a backup so the register keeps working: Backup Internet for Your Existing Line, $29.95/month.
Prices are current as of this post and may change; see the shop for today's pricing.
What about my landline phone?
RETNetworks provides internet service. If you need to keep a home phone number, ask your phone company about its digital phone replacement or move the number to a cell phone. Once you have reliable internet from us, internet-based phone and alarm services are also an option.
Do not wait for the shutoff date
The worst time to shop for internet is the week your old service stops working. Check your coverage today, pick a plan, and have your router plugged in and running before the copper is cut.