Frontier landline customers across Vilas and Oneida counties have been notified that their traditional copper phone service is ending, though Verizon, which now owns Frontier, says no one will lose service without a working replacement.

Verizon may begin discontinuing traditional landline service in Wisconsin on or after Nov. 16, under an application filed with the Federal Communications Commission, according to a letter from U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. The company also plans to retire copper facilities at 136 wire centers, the local hubs that serve phone lines, across the state.

Five of those wire centers are located in Vilas County, in Eagle River, Land O’ Lakes, Phelps, Sayner and Lac du Flambeau, according to a public notice Verizon filed in August. And additional ones in Oneida County, according to Tony Pharo, executive director of the Oneida County Economic Development Corp. (OCEDC).

In the Town of Plum Lake, home to the Sayner wire center, Town Chairman Jackey Postuchow said her primary concern is public safety.

“In rural Wisconsin, reliable telephone service is not simply a convenience; for some residents, it is their only dependable connection to emergency services,” Postuchow wrote in an email.

She said cell coverage in parts of the town is inconsistent or nonexistent, which raises concerns about wireless replacements. She is particularly worried about elderly residents, people with medical conditions and those who live alone, many of whom have relied on landlines for decades. She also questioned whether replacement systems will keep 911 access working during extended power outages.

“Simply notifying customers of a transition does not necessarily resolve the challenges that transition creates,” she wrote.

Postuchow encouraged residents who receive notices to carefully review their replacement options, confirm the proposed service will work at their home, and raise concerns before their existing service is disconnected.

“Our residents should not have to choose between technological progress and their ability to call 911,” she wrote.
Local officials were largely unaware of the plan until about a month ago. Pharo estimates 100 to 200 Oneida County households are directly affected, but said the number cannot be confirmed because he believes only about half of affected customers received a notification letter.

“My concern is that these corporations don’t truly understand what it means to live north of Highway 10 and how rural it is up here,” Pharo said. “The letter from Verizon doesn’t go far enough to address those concerns. On paper it may look like there is coverage and alternatives, but when you actually go to those locations there is not.”

Pharo said he has heard from many grandchildren living downstate who are worried about relatives in the Northwoods.
“A landline is the only way to reliably contact their grandparents and family up here,” he said.

Hazelhurst Town Chairman Ted Cushing said he never received a letter. Several Hazelhurst residents who did receive one live in areas with no alternative service, he said, and the town has contacted the offices of Baldwin and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski, R-Tomahawk.

Cushing said his biggest concern is also public safety, particularly access to 911. He has received calls from residents who have never used a cell phone and fear they will be left without service.

Businesses are adjusting as well. The Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport received notice that its copper lines were being removed, said Angie Frey, the airport’s assistant director. Rather than adapt its existing service, the airport switched providers and moved to an internet-based phone system, she said.

Landlines remain important to some households. In 2022, about 15% of Wisconsin households still had a landline, and about 3% of adults relied entirely on one, according to National Center for Health Statistics data cited by Wisconsin Public Radio.

Verizon responds to Baldwin

Verizon’s August notice says affected locations will have access to fixed or mobile wireless service from multiple providers, or to another wireline option such as internet-based phone service from Verizon or a cable company.

Baldwin wrote to Verizon CEO Dan Schulman on Oct. 9, saying she was concerned that some rural Wisconsin residents may not have an adequate and reliable replacement, especially where people rely on landlines for emergency calls.

In an Oct. 28 response, Robert Fisher, Verizon’s senior vice president of federal government relations, said the company will not discontinue a customer’s copper voice service if an FCC-approved replacement is not yet available. Fisher wrote that Verizon has no plans to immediately disconnect any customers in Wisconsin and will not do so until it completes all legally required regulatory processes at the federal and state levels.

About 5% of affected customers will have fiber-based service available, according to the letter. The rest will be offered Verizon wireless service, including an option that works with existing home phones.

Verizon estimates roughly 3,500 Wisconsin addresses in Frontier’s territory currently have neither fiber nor Verizon wireless service available, Fisher wrote. He said the company has not yet completed a final, detailed analysis.

Verizon will use FCC and company coverage data to decide whether a location has adequate wireless service, and will test any service it installs, according to the letter. If a Verizon professional determines within 30 days that the replacement does not work, the company will restore copper service.

Replacement equipment will include battery backup that typically lasts up to 24 hours during a power outage before new batteries are needed, Fisher wrote. He said pricing will be comparable to existing service, and equipment, installation and setup fees will be waived.

Cushing said he believes the community is in a better position than it was a month ago, after pressure from Baldwin. But he wants Verizon to delay the start of the transition.

“Our biggest ask is for Verizon to push out their dates for starting the transition so we can get a notification out in the tax bill ensuring everyone is notified and no one is missed like I was,” Cushing said.