The End Of Landlines In Illinois?

AT&T's push to end traditional landline service got the OK from lawmakers over the weekend as the General Assembly voted to override Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto to pass the telecommunications modernization act. The new law will allow AT&T to phase out landline service, pending FCC approval. But the phone company's estimated 1.2 million landline users won't be disconnected immediately.

In a statement, AT&T of Illinois President Paul La Schiazza said it could take years to phase out traditional landlines. "It's important for our Illinois customers to know that traditional landline phone service from AT&T is not going away anytime soon," he said.

With most customers making the switch to wireless or Internet-based phone service, AT&T has said it loses about 5,000 landline customers each week in Illinois. But some groups, including the Citizens Utility Board, have pushed back against the modernization, saying many senior citizens still rely on landlines.

Earlier this year, La Schiazza disputed the claim that home phone service is going away.

"Home phone service isn’t going away, it’s getting better," he said in a statement. "At AT&T, we value our customers and we want to keep them. In this transition, we want to improve the technology customers use for voice calling service from old service to modern landlines and wireless. About 90 percent of households in AT&T territory already moved to modern wired and wireless services. They are generally cheaper and they are reliable for consumers. For the few who remain on old technology, the proposal establishes customer protections to ensure that customers have access to voice calling service and 9-1-1 access at home."

On Saturday, the Citizens Utility Board called the General Assembly's decision disappointing.

"Not only does this legislation hurt people who depend on a landline as their most reliable link to vital services, but it also does nothing to require AT&T to improve its network," the organization said in a statement. "AT&T still must get Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval to end traditional home phone service in its Illinois territory. CUB will continue to fight to protect landline customers as this battle moves to the FCC."

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