FCC Establishes Criteria for Replacing Voice Networks

Last week, the Federal Communications Commission established clear criteria to guide the replacement of legacy services, an important step to ensure that every American will continue to have access to reliable, affordable, quality voice service. The FCC's updated rules will ease the transition to new communications networks that promise benefits and provide safeguards for customers.

The FCC's Tech Transitions Order comes three years after CWA and others raised concerns about Verizon Communications' decision to replace storm-damaged copper networks with an inferior fixed-wireless Voice Link service on Fire Island, NY, and several New Jersey barrier islands. The FCC's updated rules make clear that Voice Link – and other inferior technologies – do not pass the test as "adequate replacements" for legacy service.

In last week's Tech Transitions Order, the FCC has laid out clear criteria that it will use to evaluate applications to discontinue or reduce legacy service: providing similar levels of network quality as the discontinued service, including 99.9999 percent availability; being in compliance with federal standards regarding 911; access for people with disabilities, and cybersecurity; and being interoperable with fax machines, home security systems, and medical devices.