WOODLAND, Calif. — Phone carrier AT&T has applied to end its landline phone obligations in California, causing protests among customers who say they rely on the service.
As the California Public Utilities Commission considers the company’s request to end its “carrier of last resort” requirement, AT&T officials have been talking to residents in town hall meetings.
On Tuesday, AT&T California & Pacific States President Marc Blakeman was grilled by Yolo County customers at a town hall meeting in Woodland.
“I’m suspicious,” one customer told Blakeman, adding that there is no cell service near his home.
Blakeman said customers should have no fears, adding that they'll continue to serve them until viable alternatives are available.
“There was an overflowing room here of people showing up on a weekday, late afternoon right before dinner, because they really had concerns and care about this issue,” said Yolo County Board of Supervisors chairman Lucas Frerichs.
Several residents raised the fact that older people and those living in remote areas continue to rely on landline service, especially in times of natural disaster, reflecting the thousands of critical online comments on the CPUC docket.
The Yolo County Board of Supervisors also wrote a letter to the CPUC opposing AT&T’s application, saying rural customers don’t have other reliable options.
AT&T says it will take years to transition to the new network, and in the meantime, customers won’t be disconnected.
The next CPUC public hearing is scheduled for March 19.
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