Ars Technica“Don’t let them drop us!” Landline users protest AT&T copper retirement plan
California hears protests as AT&T seeks end to Carrier of Last Resort obligation.
Michael Kinder 
@arstechnica VoIP has become so reliable these days that it makes sense POTS copper lines be retired. The U.S. government actually encouraged the retirement, in fact.
Pyperkub@michael @arstechnica and yet as a Northern Californian, I still remember PG&E's 5+ day PSPS in 2019 which killed internet and cell service for days. It's the reason we still have a POTS line, despite the costs... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_California_power_shutoffs
@pyperkub @arstechnica Wow! I do think POTS has a place, especially in areas that are at risk for those types of events. And the fact that they work when the power is out is definitely beneficial. I was just speaking in the wider grand scheme of things if that makes sense.
@michael @arstechnica oh, it definitely makes sense - you don't need POTS until you actually do need POTS!
But, with more and more severe climate events, the redundancies this service offers in the case of infrastructure issues are unmatched by newer tech. E.G. even with battery backup for the home router/modem, Comcast's infrastructure was useless w/o power, just like cell towers after a couple of hours.