Ulster County Citizens Commission for Digital Inclusion Urges Residents to Speak Up on Verizon’s Proposed Retirement of Traditional Phone Service
KINGSTON, NY - September 28, 2026 - Jenny Lee, Chair of the Ulster County Citizens Commission for Digital Inclusion, urges residents to learn about Verizon’s proposal to retire traditional copper telephone service, known as Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), and to make their voices heard.
Verizon is seeking FCC approval to retire POTS for portions of New York. The proposed discontinuance would begin on or after November 30, 2026, subject to FCC approval and required customer notice; it is not a single statewide shutoff date, and affected customers would receive notice of their specific transition date.
When POTS is replaced, the Commission believes the replacement technology should be evaluated for reliable voice service and 911 access during extended power outages and other emergencies - particularly in rural communities where outages can last many hours or days. Traditional POTS has a significant emergency-resilience feature: a basic corded telephone can operate without commercial power at the customer’s home because the telephone line is powered from the telephone company’s central office. Its resilience is also related to the way the traditional network is engineered and, in some locations, where telephone lines are positioned on utility poles. The Commission seeks to ensure that any replacement represents the most reliable, resilient, and appropriate telecommunications solution available to residents, particularly for voice and emergency communications.
“Communication during an emergency is not a convenience - it can be a matter of life and death,” said Robert Drake, Commission member and Town of Shandaken Deputy Supervisor and Board member. “Any transition that reduces residents’ ability to reach emergency services cannot be called an equivalent, let alone an upgrade or an improvement. Reliable emergency communications should be the standard for every resident, and that standard should not be lowered simply because someone lives in a rural area. If anything, rural residents need that reliability even more.”
Residents Can Help
The Commission encourages residents to take two simple steps:
1 - Complete the Ulster County Resident Survey.
Complete the survey online or on paper at your Town Hall. The survey will help the County understand how residents currently receive telephone service, the reliability of available alternatives, and potential public-safety concerns associated with the proposed POTS retirement.
The survey closes at 11:59 p.m. Monday, October 12, 2026.
Take the Ulster County Residents Verizon POTS Survey:
tinyurl.com/VerizonPOTS-Survey
2 - Tell the FCC about your experience.
Visit the FCC docket and share your experience or concerns about Verizon’s proposed POTS retirement. Select “Submit an Express Filing” to submit a written comment, or “Submit a Standard Filing” if you are submitting a document or other file. Be sure to reference FCC Docket No. 26-252 so your comment becomes part of the official record.
Submit a Comment to the FCC - Docket No. 26-252: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/docket-detail/26-252
The Commission will use residents’ responses to document local conditions, identify locations where POTS may play an important role in communications or 911 access, assess the reliability of replacement services during outages, and inform coordination with emergency services, municipalities, and state and federal agencies.
“We are not trying to stop technological change. We are asking for a responsible transition that does not leave residents without dependable telephone or emergency communications. Residents should tell the FCC what they are experiencing, and we need them to complete the County survey so we can understand the picture across Ulster County,” said Commission Chair Jenny Lee.
“The Ulster County Comptroller’s Office stands ready to support the work of the Commission in reaching as many residents as possible and to prepare a coordinated response to Verizon,” said Ulster County Comptroller March Gallagher. “Under the Ulster County Charter, I convened the Citizens Commission for Digital Inclusion in 2022. Since then, its volunteer members from across the County have played an important role in identifying locations without high-speed internet and helping bring broadband funding to Ulster County. Now, the Commission is working to ensure residents - especially our most vulnerable - understand Verizon’s proposed POTS retirement, how they may be affected, and how they can make their voices heard.”
Residents should participate in both processes. A coordinated County response and individual comments to the FCC can complement one another and ensure that both personal experiences and countywide concerns are part of the public record.
Dafne DeJesus
Confidential Assistant
Ulster County Comptroller’s Office
P.O. Box 1800
Kingston, NY 12402