Copper thieves cut off this SoCal suburb's phones for months and the bills kept coming

[Zorro]

For six months, Hacienda Heights resident Michael Weiner could not get a dial tone on his landline.

He tried to get an answer from his phone company, Frontier Communications, but was told that it was a technical issue. He continued to get billed even though he couldn’t make a call.

Weiner, 79, eventually learned that his service, like the phone lines of many of his neighbors, was interrupted by copper wire thieves who tampered with utility poles. The problem has even temporarily forced students out of school.

Weiner and his neighbors are the latest victims of a surge in copper wire theft throughout Los Angeles County.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-11-27/hacienda-heights-cut-cable-service-frontier

[marble falls]

1. LA Times used to be a great paper. Toughest paywall ever. Try this link ...

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/wire-thefts-leave-hacienda-heights-residents-without-phone-internet-service/

[littlemissmartypants]

2. Always check the archive. ...

I found a pay wall free link in less than 30 seconds here: https://archive.ph/bEnTe
Here's the archive search page link:
https://archive.ph/

❤️

[Kilgore]

3. Landlines?

What surprised me is that anyone still had one and used it.

[quaint]

4. Why?

I know several people who rely on subsidized landlines.

[Kilgore]

7. That makes no sense

The legacy copper is, and should go away. There are much better technologies like cellular, wide area wifi and fiber.

For example, the copper lines in my neighborhood don't work. According to a lineman acquaintance, there hasn't been a subscriber for years and the phone company just stopped doing maintenance and fixing things. Everyone went to cable or one of the three wireless providers.

Instead of subsidizing buggy whips, the funds should subsidize fiber or wireless.

Probably not a popular opinion so, let the flames begin!!

[quaint]

8. Most of the people I am referring to live in very rural areas and subsist on Social Security.

You aren't an elitist by any chance...

[Kilgore]

10. No, just experience

Time in Telcom and IT.
Copper POTS lines are not the future.

[quaint]

12. Wow, you seem to believe the people I'm referring to would be better off without any outside communication.

[Kilgore]

13. Nope

Just better, more capable communications.
That's where infrastructure funds need to be spent.

[IbogaProject]

9. huh?

The old copper telephone service is solid due to being well regulated. And it is much more fault tolerant when the power goes out. We kept our dial tone and phone service both big NYC black outs, 2003 and Sandy 2012, everyone on FIOS and Cable TV phone service was out and our phone stayed up throughout.

[Kilgore]

11. Actually copper regulation is beginning to going away

Look for filings at state utility commissions to stop POTS (copper) service where other services are available. The last filing I'm aware of has been for multiple California counties.

[quaint]

15. "where other services are available"

[hunter]

14. We get our internet through a copper wire pair, since 1998.

There's still no fiber or unlimited 5G wireless internet here.

4GLTE internet is too expensive for streaming television.

[Sneederbunk]

5. Copper thieves and corporate thieves.

[GreenWave]

6. Crapitalism. Nuf said?