Goodbye, home phone line: Disputes scheme prepares for more complaints about copper withdrawal

Wednesday, 30 November 2022

If you don’t have a copper connection, you might need to rely on a mobile in a power cut.

A woman whose family were concerned about how she would contact them in an emergency once her copper phone line service was removed was one of four who contacted a telecommunications dispute service for help in the past year.

Telecommunications Disputes Resolution (TDR) handles complaints that cannot be resolved between telcos and their customers.

It has released its latest annual report, covering the year to June 30.

It received 2271 inquiries over the year, a 17% increase compared to the year before. That could be due in part to telecommunications providers resuming billing after a pause during the pandemic. Billing was the main subject of inquiries received.

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But a spokeswoman for the scheme said that while it was not seeing a high volume of cases relating to copper withdrawal, it was an emerging theme.

“Many phone and internet providers are beginning to retire their copper services, in favour of more modern technologies. This transition is being phased, so more consumers are likely to be impacted in coming years.”

Chorus is withdrawing access to the ageing copper network, in a staged process where fibre is available. That means customers in those areas cannot use landline phones connected to copper but instead need to shift to newer technologies such as VoIP.

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In a power outage, they would need another method of communication, such as a mobile.

In one case that TDR dealt with, a man complained that his grandmother wanted her to remain connected to copper in case she needed to contact family or emergency services during a power cut,

“From the provider’s point of view, it was not feasible to continue with the grandmother’s current service as the business would no longer provide support for the copper connection,” TDR said.

“However, under the 111 Contact Code, an alternative means of communication such as a cell phone could be provided if the grandmother was eligible as a vulnerable consumer. The grandson felt that the alternative offered was unsatisfactory as he believed the device would be too complicated for his grandmother to use.”

The two parties went into mediation where the option of a wireless broadband connection was discussed, as this would allow for a home phone that could be plugged into a modem. While this could still be affected by power cuts, it was a standard phone connection. But the provider then discovered this service was not available at the property.

The complaint went to TDR for adjudication, where it was ruled there was no legal basis to prevent the withdrawal of copper services.

The woman could move to another provider that would still support her copper connection, move to someone who would offer wireless broadband, shift to fibre or use a cellphone.

In another case, a customer complained that the withdrawal of his copper services would affect his ability to communicate with family and friends.

He said he only had limited mobile service in the area.

In this case, the TDR ruled that there was no legal or regulatory obligation for the provider to continue providing this service to this customer or any customer.

It was determined that the provider could withdraw the service with adequate notice.

“The adjudicator stated that without any reservation he accepted that the withdrawal of the phone had put the customer into a difficult position, however TDR’s role was to decide on the question of whether the withdrawal on notice was lawful, and for the reasons above, the adjudicator found that it was lawful. The adjudicator could see no obligation on the provider to fund and supply any alternate service or hardware. The final decision of TDR was that the complaint was not upheld.”

The Commerce Commission introduced two new codes last year to support consumers who encountered issues with the removal of copper services – the Copper Withdrawal Code outlines the responsibilities for Chorus and the 111 Contact Code supports vulnerable consumers who cannot call 111 in a power cut because they have moved to new home phone technologies like fibre.

Vulnerable people who required support could be offered a mobile phone, or a battery back-up device.

“It’s understandable that some people might be worried about the move from copper. Change is coming, but not all at once. Instead, the changes are being rolled out over several years, area by area. At any point, you can explore what alternatives are available in your area and what moving to a newer technology, like fibre, means for you. You’ll also have at least six months’ notice if Chorus intend to withdraw copper from your street. You have time to prepare and explore options,” said TDR operations manager Jeanie Robinson.