Consolidated Looking to Discontinue Copper at 45,000 New England Locations

Consolidated Communications is looking to discontinue legacy voice services at more than 45,000 locations in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Consolidated said the affected customers could be transitioned to a voice over internet protocol service on its fiber network under the company’s Fidium brand. The company said the major wireless carriers also offer standalone voice service in all the affected areas, part of the requirements for federal regulators to greenlight the discontinuance. Of the total affected locations, 26,027 are in New Hampshire, 14,848 are in Maine, and 4,206 are in Vermont. Consolidated said it would stop offering legacy voice service in the areas at issue on Oct. 7, 2025, provided it gets the necessary approvals, and that it “has committed to working with its remaining legacy voice customers in the Affected Service Area to enable them to transition to Fidium, or an alternative voice provider, if they choose to do so.