Are US businesses ready for accelerated copper retirement?

While the FCC's accelerated copper retirement represents a historic opportunity to sunset obsolete technology and advance into the future, in the near term it presents emergency-level challenges for business disruption, spiraling costs, and compliance violations. Business communication lifelines could get stranded on a proverbial desert island with no support, not if, but when they go down. And central stations could be shut down anywhere from 180 days to as little as 90 days’ notice. This shift demands immediate action from businesses and the government to ensure the continued operation of critical infrastructure. Facilities managers, building managers, and IT professionals, particularly in industries that still rely on copper connectivity, including healthcare, retail, and government, must lead this transformation, ensuring a more reliable and cost-effective future.