{"id":2625983,"date":"2026-07-07T10:27:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T14:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hilton-targets-fccs-california-landline-plan-in-letter-to-carr\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T10:32:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T14:32:52","slug":"hilton-targets-fccs-california-landline-plan-in-letter-to-carr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hilton-targets-fccs-california-landline-plan-in-letter-to-carr\/","title":{"rendered":"Hilton targets FCC\u2019s California landline plan in letter to Carr"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhilton-targets-fccs-california-landline-plan-in-letter-to-carr%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2625983&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has publicly opposed the FCC&#8217;s approval of AT&#038;T\u2019s plan to eliminate landline service for approximately 184,000 residents. He urged FCC chairman Brendan Carr to rescind the decision, arguing that the move violates state regulations and endangers vulnerable populations, especially seniors and rural residents, who rely on landlines for reliable interaction and emergency services. Hilton emphasizes that California\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/abbott-says-texas-residents-with-utility-bill-spikes-should-be-protected\/\" title=\"Abbott Says Texas Residents With Utility Bill Spikes Should Be Protected\">utilities commission<\/a> rejected AT&#038;T\u2019s request, citing concerns about the lack of reliable option providers, and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >criticizes federal actions overriding state safety measures<\/a>.President Trump has endorsed Hilton&#8217;s bid to flip California red, and Hilton has called for correction of the FCC\u2019s June 29 decision.AT&#038;T contends that modern alternatives to copper landlines are more resilient and that moast households now use other communication methods,asserting that traditional landlines serve little public purpose.The controversy is part of broader debates over infrastructure modernization, safety, and regulatory authority.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\">California<\/a> gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton on Monday urged <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/federal-communications-commission\/\">Federal Communications Commission<\/a> Chairman Brendan Carr to rescind approval of AT&#038;T\u2019s plan to update service for thousands of customers in the state. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In late June, the FCC advanced AT&#038;T\u2019s plan to end landline service via copper wiring to around 184,000 residential customers, a move that overrode opposition from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-will-not-require-fbi-checks-for-child-migrant-caretakers-at-temporary-hhs-facilities\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Will Not Require FBI Checks For Child Migrant Caretakers At Temporary HHS Facilities\">state regulators<\/a> and Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta. While the company has argued that the development is\u00a0needed to modernize infrastructure,\u00a0that no customer will lose voice or 911 service, and that residents in impacted areas will receive robust wireless coverage, Hilton warned that \u201cmillions of people, especially seniors and rural residents, are now at SERIOUS risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4636041\/socialist-anti-trump-democrat-texas-nathan-johnson\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Between socialist and anti-Trump Democrats, one Texas candidate runs on restoring the rule of law<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4631829\/supreme-court-blue-state-ballot-fight-transgender-athletes\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Supreme Court fans blue-state ballot fight over transgender athletes<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4631662\/colorado-governor-democratic-primary-weiser-bennet\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Phil Weiser holds off Sen. Michael Bennet to secure Colorado Democratic governor nomination<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBureaucrats in D.C. are forcing Californians to give up their landlines,\u201d he wrote in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SteveHiltonx\/status\/2074217160063259058\/photo\/1\">a post<\/a> to X, highlighting his letter to Carr. \u201cThis is a violation of the 10th Amendment and MUST be reversed.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Donald Trump <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4621502\/trump-stop-california-rigging-gubernatorial-race-against-steve-hilton\/\">has endorsed Hilton in his bid<\/a> to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and flip the state red for the first time since 2011. This week, Hilton was careful not to directly target Carr as a member of the president\u2019s administration but urged him to \u201ccorrect\u201d the FCC\u2019s June 29 decision to override California\u2019s utilities commission prohibition on AT&#038;T\u2019s plan. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI understand you may not have been personally involved in this particular decision. But as Chairman of the FCC, you have the authority and responsibility to correct it,\u201d he wrote in the letter to Carr.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCalifornia\u2019s own public utilities commission rejected AT&#038;T\u2019s request to withdraw as a Carrier of Last Resort,\u201d Hilton continued. \u201cThe CPUC heard from Californians, reviewed the facts, and concluded that AT&#038;T had not shown there were reliable replacement providers ready and able to serve as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maureen-testoni-drug-pricing-program-needs-protection\/\" title=\"Maureen Testoni: Drug Pricing Program Needs Protection\">safety-net provider<\/a> for these communities. Now Washington is stepping in to override that decision and effectively force Californians to depend on cellphones, even in places where cell service is unreliable. That is wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hilton\u2019s letter comes as AT&#038;T has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-call-for-investigation-into-newly-confirmed-vanita-gupta\/\" title=\"Republicans Call for Investigation Into Newly Confirmed Vanita Gupta\">faced significant opposition<\/a> from California officials in its effort to move away from landline service. In 2024, state regulators blocked the telecommunications company from taking that step, after the Utility Reform Network estimated that hundreds of thousands of households in the Bay Area and millions around California would lose landline service. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time, House Democrats representing the Bay Area, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), claimed the proposal threatened public safety \u201cin an area plagued by earthquakes, severe storms, floods, and fires, and that has a geography that often disrupts cellular service for days, if not weeks, at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4619951\/latino-group-gop-midterm-support\/\"><strong>LATINO GROUP HOMES IN ON KEY MIDTERM RACES, HOPING TO HELP GOP WITH HISPANICS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AT&#038;T believes modern alternatives to copper wire landlines hold up better during disasters. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2024\/02\/06\/att-seeks-to-shut-down-landline-service-for-most-of-the-bay-area-much-of-california\/\">told<\/a> <em>Mercury News <\/em>in 2024 that fewer than 7% of households in its California service areas use traditional landlines and that \u201ca great number of those households also have alternatives available where they live.\u201d In its proposal to the utilities commission, AT&#038;T claimed its landline services were \u201cfast becoming a historical curiosity\u201d and that they serve no \u201cvalid public purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hilton urges FCC to block AT&amp;T landline shutdown in California<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2625984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26160615279772.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[82328,16609,16446],"class_list":["post-2625983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-california-landline","tag-fcc","tag-hilton"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26160615279772.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2625983"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2625987,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625983\/revisions\/2625987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2625984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2625983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2625983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2625983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}