Save Landlines: Carrier of Last Resort (COLR)
Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligations are legal requirements that ensure every household and business has access to basic telephone service, regardless of location remoteness, unprofitability or access challenges. Without COLR obligations, telecommunications companies, including AT&T, would have the authority to deploy new fiber and other technologies in affluent communities, while freely neglecting low-income, rural and tribal communities it deems unprofitable.
Mark Toney has served as executive director of The Utility Reform Network since 2007, which has held telecommunications and utility companies accountable to providing their customers with universal and affordable phone service, and clean and affordable power for over 50 years. Kat Taylor, an advocate for social justice and environmental sustainability, is co-founder and co-board chair of Beneficial State Bank. She also serves as a founding director of TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation, promoting regenerative food systems.
Oppose AB 470!
Protect Reliable Phone Service for Everyone.
Phone service isn’t a luxury. It’s a basic need for calling 911, keeping in touch with family, and staying connected during emergencies.
AB 470 would let AT&T walk away from its responsibility to provide phone service to people in its territory, just by sending a notice to state regulators. No public hearings or requirements that another company provide landline service.
Right now, AT&T is legally required to serve everyone in its area. That means if you live in a remote or rural community or you’re an older adult who relies on a landline, you can still count on having a working phone.
Take Action
Sign this petition
Speak at a public forum (dates and times below)
Call your state and local representatives to demand they reject AB 470
(use the link below for contact information)
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