- Federal judge Linda Lopez denied AT&T's request for a preliminary injunction, allowing California to enforce Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) rules requiring AT&T to offer basic phone service to new customers.
- AT&T sued California to end COLR obligations, arguing the rules are preempted by FCC orders, but the court ruled against its immediate injunction request.
- AT&T plans to stop offering basic phone service to new customers and discontinue service for 184,000 residential and 15,000 business customers by June 1, 2027.
- California is the only state out of 21 where AT&T still faces COLR obligations, which AT&T claims costs $1 billion annually to maintain an outdated copper network.
- AT&T wants to shut off copper lines used for Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) but may not replace them with fiber, leaving customers to rely on cellular networks.