LANSING – ATT on Monday defended a bill that would end landline service to customers under certain conditions, saying the bill is merely to authorize a transition process and the company has no intention to come through towns and “snip wires” as some perceive, according to Matt Resch, spokesperson for the company.

SB 636 currently awaits action in the Senate Energy and Technology Committee, where an amendment addressing concerns about leaving areas without voice service by allowing customers to petition the Public Service Commission to investigate the issue and conduct a competitive bidding process to provide voice service to the area was not voted on for lack of a quorum.

As the bill is currently written, the Federal Communications Commission would have the ultimate oversight when, beginning January 1, 2017, a telecommunication provider that provided basic local exchange or toll service could discontinue that service in an exchange with much less difficulty than current law allows.

“There’s a perception that AT&T trucks will drive through and snip wires … they won’t,” Mr. Resch told some media members touring the Lansing AT&T hub Monday. Some groups, like AARP, have expressed concerns over the reliability and accessibility of residents to traditional landlines. “None of (the new technology) works unless (copper wires) are kept.”

But the FCC, by law, can’t simply leave someone without accessibility to voice service, Mr. Resch argued, and by upgrading old technology in-house – the company spent some $1.5 billion between 2010 and 2012 on maintaining wire line and wireless services – customers may actually see greater reliability in their voice service.

And some of older technology that companies like AT&T still host for some customers not only costs more to operate, but some parts are no longer manufactured, officials say.

But others also expressed concerns over being able to use life alert systems or burglar alarms connected to their landline phones, especially in the event of a power outage.

“Our installation techs have it as part of their procedures to ask customers if they have those services and to not leave an install job unless those services are working over the VoIP system,” Resch said, referring to voice over-IP systems, a type of voice-to-voice connection. He also said a many life alert systems are shifting to wireless-type connections as well.

There is little indication when the Senate committee will take up SB 636 as it is on recess until December 3, but it is sure to come with some changes. When the legislation was last debated among interested parties, the Public Service Commission was in opposition to the bill for numerous reasons and the committee chair sought the commission’s approval before moving forward.

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