AT&T copper line down for weeks? What to do while you wait

If your AT&T copper line has been dead for weeks, get a repair ticket number, ask in writing for a bill credit, and use the wait to find out what replaces copper at your address. AT&T is retiring its copper network area by area, so the lasting fix may be a replacement rather than a repair.

None of that means you should pay for a service you aren’t getting. The steps below put the outage on record, get you online in the meantime, and keep your phone number safe if you move on.

Why copper repairs can drag on

Threads on r/ATT from August and September 2026 describe copper lines dead for weeks and repair visits cancelled again and again. AT&T hasn’t said repairs are slower, but its DSL page states “AT&T no longer offers DSL service” and the company is winding copper down, phone and broadband alike; its own figures and timeline are in AT&T’s October 2026 copper update.

What to ask AT&T, and get in writing

Each time you contact AT&T, ask for the same five things and write down the answers with the date, time and rep’s name:

1. A ticket number for the outage. Use the same one every time you call back.
2. The expected repair date, and what is causing the delay.
3. Whether your address is on a copper retirement schedule, and the date if it is.
4. What AT&T offers instead at your address. AT&T’s April 2026 blog post lists AT&T Phone - Advanced, wireless, AT&T Fiber and AT&T Internet Air as its replacements.
5. A bill credit for every day without service.

Then send a short written message through your AT&T account, or a letter you can track, so there’s a record outside the phone system:

My AT&T [DSL / home phone] service at [address], account [number], has been out since [date]. Repair ticket [number]. Repair visits were scheduled for [dates] and did not fix it. Please confirm in writing the repair date, whether my address is scheduled for copper retirement, and a credit for each day without service.

Outage credits: what AT&T’s terms say

As of Nov 3, 2026, AT&T’s consumer pages don’t spell out an outage credit for copper DSL or landlines. AT&T Internet Air does carry one, the “AT&T Guarantee”: “Credit for downtime lasting 20 minutes or more. Restrictions and exclusions apply.” That’s an Internet Air promise, so don’t assume it covers a copper line.

Ask anyway. You’re billed for a service that isn’t working, and a request with dates and ticket numbers is hard to brush off. Check the next bill to see whether the credit actually appears, and follow up in writing if it doesn’t.

Complaints that get answered

If calls and letters go nowhere, take the same facts to a regulator:

• Your state utility commission (often called the public utilities or public service commission). Many states take complaints about landline phone service.
• The FCC’s consumer complaint center, which takes complaints about phone and internet companies.
• Your state attorney general’s consumer office, for billing for a service you didn’t receive.

Keep complaints short and factual: the dates out, the ticket numbers, what AT&T promised and when. Under the FCC’s 2026 copper order (FCC 26-19), a phone company that wants to end a service for existing customers must still file an application to do so, and affected customers are notified and can comment.

Getting online this week

A quick fix this week and a long-term replacement are different decisions. Make the second one with the end date and your number in mind.

If the line is ending anyway: switch in an order that keeps your number

Most copper households have a phone number on the line, and many of the replacements don’t include a home phone. Starlink, for example, sells internet service only. So the order matters:

1. Confirm the end date from AT&T’s letter or in writing from AT&T.
2. Pick the long-term replacement and check it at your address: AT&T’s own options, 5G home internet from another carrier, or Starlink if the Starlink app finds open sky. Starlink sets its prices by address: what switching to Starlink costs has the dated figures, and AT&T Internet Air vs Starlink compares the two.
3. Move the phone number before cancelling. The FCC’s advice: “Do not terminate your service with your existing company before initiating new service with another company.” The FCC also says the old company can’t refuse to port your number, even if you owe a balance. Ask the new phone company whether the outage affects the port.
4. Check anything that dials out over the line. Alarm panels and medical alert devices may need a new connection. AT&T Phone - Advanced, AT&T’s replacement home phone, says it keeps your number and supports devices such as alarms and medical monitors; it runs on home power with a 24-hour battery backup. Talk to the device’s provider before the switch. Keeping your home phone number
5. Cancel AT&T last. AT&T’s fee schedule says its current home internet plans have no term or early termination fee, and lists no unreturned-equipment fee for DSL modems, which customers bought. A leased AT&T Wi-Fi gateway is different: check your bill.

Wait for the repair if…

• AT&T has given a firm repair date and no retirement notice covers your address.
• An alarm or medical device depends on the line and its replacement isn’t arranged yet.
• No replacement reaches your address yet, or the ones that do haven’t held up in your evening tests.
• You want the landline as a backup and AT&T can still fix it.

If AT&T confirms your area is being retired, the full guide to the letters, dates and options is AT&T is retiring copper: what DSL customers can do.

AT&T copper retirement guide

Checking method: each price, fee and rule here links to the provider’s or regulator’s own page, dated the day we read it. No internet provider pays for a place on this site; the only income is the Starlink referral explained on our money page. Our fact-checking · How we make money · Corrections