Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile
    • Networking

    ATT Tells FCC It Wants to Ditch Land-Line Services

    By
    Michelle Maisto
    -
    January 2, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      AT&T has told the Federal Communications Commission that in order to meet Congress’ goal of extending broadband access to 100 percent of Americans, it needs to ditch its land-line business in favor of focusing on broadband and IP-based communications.

      “That transition is under way already,” AT&T wrote in a Dec. 21 communication to the FCC. “With each passing day, more and more communications services migrate to broadband and IP-based services, leaving the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and plain-old telephone service (POTS) as relics of a bygone era.”

      AT&T called the 100 percent broadband goal “auspicious,” and said it would be within reach if the resources of the FCC and its stakeholders were put toward developing and executing a strategy that included an “orderly transition away from, and retirement of, the PSTN.”

      Should AT&T have to continue maintaining and investing in two networks, it wrote, Congress’ goal “will not be met in a timely or efficient manner.”

      AT&T-the country’s original carrier, and still its most lucrative-seemed a bit desperate to heave the land-line business off its shoulders. While 90 percent of Americans already have broadband access, AT&T underlined the importance of reaching that last 8 to 10 percent of U.S. citizens still without it, writing, “Broadband is dramatically changing the way Americans live, work, obtain health care and interact with the government. Congress and the Commission have rightly made universal broadband access a core national priority.”

      Extending broadband access to the last 10 percent of Americans, AT&T estimated, will require an investment of approximately $350 billion.

      Pressed by bandwidth-gobbling iPhones, AT&T has been investing heavily in its 3G network-Verizon recently estimated that AT&T has spent tens of millions on it, compared with the billions Verizon said it spent on its own-and on Dec. 8, AT&T introduced a free application, AT&T Mark the Spot, to enable customers to let it know where they experienced service issues, so that it can know where to invest 3G-allocated dollars.

      AT&T’s land-line business, conversely, has been shedding customers, particularly as Americans-financially pinched by a global recession-have increasingly decided to make due with solely their mobile phones.

      “Due to technological advances, changes in consumer preference and market forces, the question is when, not if, POTS service and the PSTN over which it is provided will become obsolete,” AT&T wrote to the FCC.

      It went on to say less than 20 percent of Americans rely exclusively on POTS for voice service, 25 percent of households have abandoned POTS and 700,000 lines are being turned off each month.

      Over the 32 pages of the communication, AT&T outlined steps for retiring the PSTN and concluded that it recommends that the FCC promptly follow them.

      Michelle Maisto
      Michelle Maisto has been covering the enterprise mobility space for a decade, beginning with Knowledge Management, Field Force Automation and eCRM, and most recently as the editor-in-chief of Mobile Enterprise magazine. She earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University, and in her spare time obsesses about food. Her first book, The Gastronomy of Marriage, if forthcoming from Random House in September 2009.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×