Verizon hopes to cut access to landline service for approximately 20,000 customers from the Twin Cities metro north to the Canadian border.
Locations in Embarrass, Babbitt, Brimson, Hoyt Lakes and Aurora are among the 163 wire centers where landlines could face service interruptions as early as November.
Customers will retain their phone numbers. Verizon offers fiber optic lines or wireless service as a replacement for lost landlines. The company also intends to provide battery backup capabilities to maintain customer coverage during power outages.
“We will not discontinue your existing copper voice service if you do not have access to an FCC-approved replacement service option,” Verizon stated.
However, many customers in rural areas might choose landlines as their best option in areas with unreliable cell service, or they may simply prefer the technology as a familiar option.
Landline service can also serve as a critical back-up in emergency situations.
Fiber is not available in many parts of St. Louis County, especially in townships and areas with lower populations. Speed varies even in neighborhoods currently covered.
Though Verizon offers cell service through most of St. Louis County, gaps remain near Nett Lake, in the far north and in a large area northwest of Island Lake Reservoir in the Pequaywan locale, according to the company’s coverage map. Verizon coverage is limited to 4G LTE in the vast majority of Lake County, with large swaths of uncovered areas.
Tree coverage and hilly terrain may especially inhibit cell reception for regional customers.
Customers impacted by the changes will receive a letter from Verizon in advance of service changes.
The company plans to eliminate landline service at the 163 wire centers prior to retiring the copper facilities, as stated by a public notice of copper retirement Verizon released on Aug. 7.
“To help ensure an orderly transition, Verizon may require customers and interconnecting entities to migrate services off of copper facilities well before the copper retirement implementation date,” the notice states.
Verizon claims these services rely upon obsolete technology.
The changes come in the wake of shifts in Federal Communications Commission rules about what counts as an adequate landline replacement service. Wireless was recently approved as a replacement.
A Minnesota state law went into effect on July 1, 2026, that requires telephone companies to submit a customer transition plan to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and receive commission approval before transitioning away from landline service.
This law could pose an obstacle as Verizon moves to discontinue the service, but the company has disputed Minnesota’s authority to regulate its service decisions.
A lawsuit filed by Verizon argues that FCC approval supersedes state law, meaning Verizon would not require the PUC to approve the shift away from copper lines.
Verizon acquired Frontier’s phone service and all of the company’s associated copper wire lines last January for a $20 billion price tag. Frontier’s former service area is the region now facing landline elimination.
