Phone lines are going away – local and 800 numbers. The issue with local lines is that carriers are phasing them out, and those that remain are becoming much more expensive.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) deregulated standard copper phone lines (POTS), removing the requirement for phone companies to maintain them. Deregulation has been a gradual process. The FCC started easing rules around copper lines with a 2015 order, then granted more forbearance in 2019, removing requirements for unbundling analog voice-grade copper loops. More recently, in March 2026, they streamlined retirement processes. As a result, providers like Altafiber, AT&T and Verizon can move away from POTS lines without notifying customers. This shift is largely due to the high cost of maintaining these lines.
As providers transition away from traditional copper infrastructure, the most common alternative is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). While VoIP is effective for voice communication, it is not reliable or recommended for fire and burglar alarm communication with monitoring centers.
VoIP is designed to transmit voice rather than data, whereas alarm systems rely on data transmission. Because of this, monitoring centers may not properly interpret VoIP signals. Additionally, the way VoIP compresses and decompresses signals can disrupt alarm transmissions. These communication issues are why most major alarm panel manufacturers do not support VoIP.
This is not an issue with the alarm system itself, but with the limitations of the telecommunications technology.
If you are still on standard copper phone lines please call our office to upgrade your system to use cellular communications.