AT&T lobbyists are hard at work trying to destroy our critical copper landline network, forcing people onto hazardous and unreliable mobile phones or “VOIP”
Updated 4/18/16: AB 2395 Threatens California’s Copper Landline Network
Last Wednesday, the Assembly Utilities Committee passed AB2395 and it now heads to the Appropriations Committee, possibly on May 4th. The committee listened to a series of corporate and astroturfed comments in favor of this horrible anti-consumer bill, but they also heard from a large, vocal contingent of truly grassroots groups and individuals opposed to this trainwreck (including Stop Smart Meters!).
You can watch the entire Utilities Committee hearing online here. The hearing for AB2395 runs from 0:44:40 – 2:39:10. Stop Smart Meters! Testimony begins at about 1:22:00.
AB 2395, currently before the CA Assembly, poses a serious threat to the health and safety of Californians, and will next be heard before the California State Assembly Appropriations Committee in Sacramento possibly May 4th.
Now is the time to ramp up pressure on your Assemblymember to kill this bill. Please make a call, write a letter (including to your local editor), spread the word and speak out about why we need analog landlines to be maintained for our jobs, health, safety, and access.
Find Your State Assemblymember
Full List of State Assemblymembers
Contact Assembly member Evan Low, sponsor of the bill
AT&T Wants to Decommission Landlines in California, published April 7th in Techwire.
Stop Smart Meters! interviewed for statewide radio segment on April 13th
Talking points:
• Landlines provide an important resilient communication network when electricity and cell service goes out (which is more likely with the “smart grid”). Especially important in a disaster situation.
• Emergency responders depend on specific location information only available through landline phone lines. Disabling the landline network will impede police and fire, esp. in a disaster situation
• Many millions of people rely solely on landlines for their communication needs, and cutting people off is a violation of human rights.
• Call quality is far superior on a copper landline- is it progress or “moving into the 21st century” to make Californians suffer through dropped calls and static?
• Destroying our valuable landline network would result in the loss of thousands of skilled, union jobs with no employment guarantee by AT&T.
• Corded landlines are far safer than mobile phones, which emit radiation associated with brain tumors, and other health problems.
• Wireless infrastructure emits more greenhouse gases than many entire countries. If we want to reduce climate and health risks, maintaining a robust wired landline network is key.
• As a resident of California, I am committed to taking personal action to defend our landline network, and not allow AT&T to prioritize profits over service, access and safety.
We will post updates on this urgent issue as they develop. Take action today or in 3 1/2 years the cord may be cut, as unbelievable as that might seem…..
Please allow us to keep our land lines. No one should be using their cell phone as their primary phone.
Flood State Legislators with calls & e-mails:
http://senate.ca.gov/leadership
http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers
Mike Gatto Chair Utilities & Commerce Committee http://asmdc.org/members/a43/
AT&T screws everyone including those who have cell phone service with them like I did a few years back, they almost put me in the hospital for three days of contention trying to fix something they made the mistake on. Maybe our family and friends will just go to
short-wave radio or walkie talkies.. AT&T isn’t making enough money now with all the comptetition that’s why they want to get rid of the land lines. They are such a funky
business that’s why they can’t keep their customers.
I wouldn’t have AT&T as my service provider for my cell phone for anything. I’m with Verizon; have been for quite some time.
AT&T is the worst of any of the service providers, and this attempt at destroying California’s landline network takes the cake. All across this nation there are those of us who don’t own digital devices, and AT&T has the gall to cut those people off altogether, by destroying the landline networks? It’s AT&T who must be destroyed instead, by seizing all of its ill-gained profits at the expense of their former and present customers.
Hope you get somewhere fighting this in California. We too, prefer land lines, for clearer connection, less EMF, and cheaper. They seem to becoming a thing of the past with the younger generation.
I sincerely hope this does not happen in Calif. or we in BC, Canada may be next. Good luck with the fight for rights to basic services!
Was profitability a concern when handing out Obamaphones like candy on Halloween?
I am severely electrosensitive and cannot use a cell phone, nor even have a cordless landline phone. I use a corded landline phone. This is very upsetting to me personally, as I am very ill and am getting worse as more and more wireless devices come into use. The electrosmog is getting thicker and thicker. If people could see it, they’d be appalled.
Also, the stupidity of a wireless network amazes me, especially the wireless electrical grid. Easily hacked and brought down. While people are freaking out about physical terrorist attacks, why hasn’t occurred to them that the wireless communication and electrical grids are vulnerable and could be remotely disabled by hacking, thus causing tremendous damage to whole sections of the country?
I can not use cell phones and have to rely upon wired home telephone service, or I have no telephone service, at all.
AT&T has created billing problems and have billed me fraudulently. AT&T has cut off my long distance service and told me that it would be $1.39 per minute for long distance service without a Monthly Long Distance Plan.
Calling now. The weekends are good because the calls are quick and painless! Here’s a blurb, if anyone wants to use it: Here’s a little blurb, if anyone wants to use it, or adapt it: Please strongly oppose the bill, AB2395, that has the very foolish goal of getting rid of landlines. Fewer landlines mean more wifi. Wifi is causing a lot of physical harm to people with EHS, or electro-hyper sensitivity, who are sensitive to radiofrequency radiation, or RF. These people can suffer from insomnia, heart palpitations, and other serious symptoms due to excessive radiofrequency radiation. Also very important is the fact that this type of radiation, which also is emitted by cell phones and “smart” meters, can cause cancer, by damaging DNA, especially in children. Please do what is right for our populace and oppose this terrible bill, AB 2395, which would get rid of our valuable landlines. Thank you.
Yes, I find it way too much of a coincidence that just a couple of weeks ago it was decided that AT&T will have to start adding an internet discount for us low income users who are on California Lifeline program, this has been needed for a long time now since every time you turn around they’ve upped the bill using some loophole and or by simply dropping the lowest rate you can get for their internet service. Last time a repair person came out he told me they told them that they would have to print their own name/business cards now. AT&T has also been pushing their so called bundle pack with Direct TV and using most likely a dish to pay for internet service as well, another raise in prices. This is what happens folks whenever any companies get deregulated, one of them gets the monopoly and starts dictating whatever they feel like and they are constantly making mistakes on my bill which I have to maintain a constant watch over since they keep repeating the same mistakes, I wonder how many people just give up or don’t realize they’re being billed for a service they never had as well as getting charged for their mistake in the form of a “cancelation fee” on next bill. I went online to correct my address, their mistake, they interpreted that as me moving, next thing I know they’ve tried to charge me for long distance even though I’m on lifeline and never ever had long distance with them, I use google voice, free long distance and sms and text anywhere in the USA, and they tried to do the above to me, am still checking to see if they corrected this online yet. There ought to be a law against what they are trying to do with wanting to discontinue landline phone service, I live in a rural area and can’t get cell phone reception at my home, how am I supposed to get emergency help when it’s needed, this has to be illegal and waiting always for 20 min. just to get their CS is a joke, most of their people aren’t nice about it either.
Our landline went down in Santa Clara, CA on April 13, 2016 at noon.
Hmmm…still not up!!!
I’m not in California, so how did that hearing go?
FYI: AT&T first petitioned the FCC in December 2012 that it wanted to be done with its landline service by 2020. Article at Salon from July 2013 about that, excerpts saved here:
http://paradisemobi.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/landline-phones-an-endangered-species/
The FCC was going to put together a task force to study the issue. I’m not sure what the outcome, if any, of that has been, or will be.
If they would just hold on for another 5-10 years, after more and more people are fried from cellphones and smart meters (self-included), they will be running back to landline phones. Too bad AT&T is not “smart” enough to see that coming.
Verizon is also mentioned in that article as wanting to let go of their landlines as well.
MaBell used to be great in the 1980’s. They had LOCAL buildings where you could go in person, with LOCAL ladies working there; and if you called them on the phone, they were also LOCAL ladies who answered (in Southern USA at least), and they were nice as pie, a real pleasure to speak with… That was back when the attitude of “The Customer is Always Right” still existed. :-/
It’s true what others said above, the corporations are out of control. Comcast is just like the other person said re ATT’s internet, always changing their internet plans by dropping them, and creating new ones with different names/titles and charging $10 more/month than the last new-now-deleted plan. Highway Robbery. They do that about every 2-3 years; & every year they increase the price of the modem “rental” (which used to be FREE!) by another $2. First it was free, then $7, then $9, then $11, then $13, etc. They are criminally greedy. They have the monopoly here so there’s no other providers/choices.
The utility company a few months back began charging $6 EXTRA for actually “USING” their sewer service. You already have to pay the regular charge for it, $50-$60+, then they decided to add a “USAGE” fee on top of that! So they are basically saying, “Here, we’ll deliver sewer service to you for such & such, but now we will also charge you extra to actually USE it.” Corporate criminals everywhere!
Much success on your local battle.
20 May 2016ave
I only learned of this today. There was a news report on KPIX (ch.5 CBS news).
A woman in a wheel chair was interviewed and she said it was a necessity to keep her land line. Even the news person said, just try to take away my mom’s land line!
I am also a senior with hearing loss and it is difficult to hear on a cell phone. I have also trouble with my vocal cords and sometimes it is difficult to be understood.
I have ATT land line which is About $45 a month, plus ATT U-verse and Internet which is another $200 a month. They have tried to switch me several times. In fact in the beginning they did and I had to argue to get my land line back. If they switch you the battery life is only 4 hours. If you call 911 from a land line you will instantly receive the correct police dept. from a cell phone you do not. Att already controls your phone service, tv (they have now also Direct tv and Uverse. Write to and call Evan Low to lodge your complaints.