BY TED SHOCKLEY, Eastern Shore Post —
Verizon Communications Inc. has informed customers on the Eastern Shore and elsewhere in Virginia that it will be discontinuing traditional copper-based home phone service, a move that prompted confusion among some who use landlines.
Accomack County Supervisor Jeffrey Parks said during the county’s Wednesday, Aug. 19, monthly meeting that he has heard from constituents apprehensive about the change.
Parks asked for county staff to contact Verizon for more information.
“That is very concerning,” said Parks, who worried it could impact people who have no other communications alternative.
The letter received by Verizon customers said the service affected would be “copper-based dial tone-based home phone service.”
Users will be offered an alternative service — a phone line that uses fiber or wireless internet service.
However, Verizon officials said telephone customers who do not have reliable internet or cellular service will be able to keep their old copper wire phone service.
“If there is no other viable option for you, you will not lose your copper line,” said Diana Alevar, an associate director with Verizon’s reputation and risk management team who is based in New Jersey, in a telephone interview.
She called it a “100-year-old copper network” and said that the Federal Communications Commission recently required the changes to be made.
“Nobody will be left disconnected,” she said. “We want to do whatever we can to ensure people understand what is going on.”
Matt Ogburn, Verizon’s director of state and local government affairs for Virginia, said in a telephone interview that the number of people still using copper line is “a very, very small percentage of our customers.”
He did not immediately know how many customers on the Eastern Shore of Virginia still use the copper line telephone systems in their homes and businesses.
Ogburn said the new fiber and wireless services “are much more reliable” than the older copper wires.
He also said they are less prone to being taken.
“There is a high degree of vandalism and theft related to copper,” he said.
Alevar said the letters received by customers are an informational notice and further correspondence will be forthcoming before the system transitions.
Ogburn said he has fielded a lot of questions about the transition, including from state Sen. Bill DeSteph this week.
“I spoke with Sen. DeSteph a little bit ago and explained to him what was going on,” he said.
