The end appears near for the workhorse voice-grade telephone system the United States relied on for more than a century. On August 2, 2022, local exchange carriers (LECs) are no longer required to support aging copper landlines known as the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) or Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) order 19-72A1 also allows Local exchange carriers (LECs) to stop providing competitors with discounted rates for POTS resale. What that means for the enterprise sector largely depends on the LEC and region.
