Powered by MetTelThe phone line your business has used for 30 years is being switched off.
It's already underway. In Florida, AT&T has stopped accepting new copper lines, moves, or changes — and is raising rates on what's left to as much as $3,995 a line as it prepares to shut copper down. Those same lines run your phones, fax, fire alarms, elevators, and security systems. Switchpoint, powered by MetTel, moves you off copper before the shutoff — keeping your numbers and equipment, with zero downtime.
Florida Copper Shutdown — By The Numbers
is how high published AT&T rates for a single legacy copper line have climbed in parts of the Southeast — a deliberate push to force businesses off copper.
Sources: AT&T Southeast grandfathering notice (eff. Oct 15, 2025); AT&T Section 214 discontinuance filings; FCC rule reducing notice from 180 to 90 days; published carrier rate filings. Rates and timelines vary by location, line type, and wire center.
By the time the letter arrives, you've already lost.
- !Your copper bill is the warning shot. Published AT&T rates in the Southeast have climbed to as much as $3,995 per line — a deliberate squeeze to force you off before the shutoff does.
- !The FCC's March 2026 order stripped away the protections that used to slow this down. Carriers can now grandfather and kill copper lines faster, with less warning.
- !When your wire center goes dark, it doesn't take one line — it takes all of them at once: voice, fax, alarm, elevator, POS. In an afternoon.
- !A forced cutover on the carrier's clock can mean a failed fire-alarm inspection, a shut-down elevator, a compliance violation — not just a dead dial tone.
A line that used to run about $45 a month is now priced as high as $3,995 in parts of AT&T's Southeast territory. These hikes aren't an accident — they're a deliberate strategy to make copper too expensive to keep, so you migrate before the shutoff forces you to.
Every one of these runs on the copper line that's disappearing.
If any of these systems at your business still dials out over an analog line, copper retirement affects you directly.
Fire Alarm Panels
Analog fire panels dial monitoring stations over copper. A dead line can mean a failed inspection.
Elevator Phones
Code-required emergency elevator phones depend on a working line — and on staying compliant.
Security & Alarm Systems
Burglar alarms and perimeter systems lose their dial-out path when copper is cut.
Point-of-Sale Terminals
Older POS and credit-card terminals that dial for authorization stop processing.
Fax Machines
Analog fax — still essential across healthcare — goes silent the moment the line is gone.
Voice & Emergency Lines
Front-desk phones, gate and door intercoms, and emergency call boxes all sit on copper.
Switchpoint moves you off copper in a single visit. Powered by MetTel.
Switchpoint is built on MetTel's nationwide POTS Transformation platform — the proven "POTS-in-a-Box" solution trusted by the U.S. Postal Service and the Veterans Administration. Your existing analog devices plug into one managed device that routes calls over secure broadband, Wi-Fi, and LTE/5G cellular instead of copper. Your phones, fax, and alarms keep working exactly as they do today.
Drop-in compatibility
- ✓Supports up to 8 analog lines from one device
- ✓Works with fire alarms, elevators, fax, modems, and POS
- ✓Keep your existing phone numbers and existing equipment
Built to never go down
- ✓Dual-SIM LTE/5G failover across multiple carriers
- ✓Up to 48 hours of battery backup with integrated UPS
- ✓Keeps running through power and network outages
Compliant & safe
- ✓UL- and FCC-compliant for life-safety and emergency use
- ✓HIPAA-compliant for regulated environments
- ✓Full support for alarm, elevator, and fax systems
Fully managed for you
- ✓24/7/365 monitoring from a NOC and ongoing lifecycle support
- ✓Professional on-site installation — plug-and-play
- ✓Typically 30% or more in cost savings vs. copper
Three steps. Zero downtime.
Free line audit
Tell us your address and what's on copper. We check it against the wire centers scheduled for shutdown and map every line at risk.
Your migration plan
We design a Switchpoint deployment for your exact equipment — phones, fax, alarms, elevators — with a fixed price and timeline.
On-site install
Our team installs and tests everything on-site. Your numbers and devices keep working. Copper is no longer your problem.
See exactly which of your lines are on the chopping block.
Get a free Florida Copper Line Audit. We cross-check your address against the wire centers AT&T is shutting down, flag every system that dies when copper goes, and hand you a fixed migration plan — so you move on your terms instead of scrambling after a 90-day notice. Every week you wait, the notice gets closer.
Florida copper retirement, in plain English.
Is my copper line really going away?
If your business is served by a wire center scheduled for retirement, then yes. AT&T has already stopped accepting new copper lines, moves, or changes in Florida (effective October 15, 2025) and begins decommissioning copper wire centers in June 2026. Carriers are no longer required to keep copper running where modern alternatives exist — and even where the line still works, prices are climbing fast to push businesses to migrate.
How much notice will I get before my line is cut?
The FCC recently cut the required notice period in half — from 180 days down to 90. So once your wire center is scheduled, you may have only about three months before service stops permanently. Waiting for that notice means migrating under pressure; a free audit now lets you move on your own schedule.
Will I lose my phone numbers or have to replace my phones?
You keep your existing numbers, and you keep the analog devices you already use — phones, fax, alarm panels, elevator phones. There is one new piece of equipment: a small managed device that your existing lines plug into, which routes them over a digital network instead of copper. It's a painless swap, professionally installed, and your day-to-day doesn't change.
What about my fire alarm and elevator — are those covered?
Yes. The solution is UL- and FCC-compliant for life-safety and emergency communications and fully supports alarm, elevator, and fax systems — which is exactly why a purpose-built replacement matters rather than a consumer internet phone service.
Is the audit actually free?
Yes. The Florida Copper Line Audit is free and carries no obligation. If your lines aren't at risk yet, we'll tell you and you can plan ahead on your own terms.