Copper phone line retirement in Powell, TN
Frontier, which serves the Powell exchange, has filed with the FCC to retire copper phone service in portions of Tennessee, as of September 8, 2026.
The filing covers parts of Tennessee and doesn't list addresses, so your line may or may not be included. Frontier has to notify customers before it changes their service.
Or call 623-307-5548
What has been filed
Business copper phone services
As of September 8, 2026 · Approved automatically
Frontier has asked the FCC for permission to stop offering business copper phone services (business lines, PBX trunks, ISDN and similar) in portions of Tennessee, as of September 8, 2026.
Nothing stopped this request, so under FCC rules it was approved automatically on June 21, 2026. The phone company still has to notify customers before it changes their service. FCC notice
FCC docket 26-115 (at the FCC) · covers portions of the state
Residential and business legacy TDM-based voice service
As of September 8, 2026 · Approved automatically
Frontier has asked the FCC for permission to stop offering residential and business legacy TDM-based voice service in portions of Tennessee, as of September 8, 2026.
Nothing stopped this request, so under FCC rules it was approved automatically on June 21, 2026. The phone company still has to notify customers before it changes their service. FCC notice
FCC docket 26-116 (at the FCC) · covers portions of the state
Get an email when another filing names Powell, TN
Phone companies file new requests every week. We check the FCC every day and only email when your area comes up.
We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing is sent until you click it. Filing alerts only for the areas you pick, and updates only if you tick the box. When a filing names your area, someone from our team may email you once to see if you need help. Every email has a link to stop them. Privacy
Areas served by the Powell exchange
The exchange is centered on Powell.
ZIP codes: 37849, 37912. Exchange boundaries don't follow ZIP codes exactly, so check your phone number to be sure.
What usually runs on these lines
- Fire alarm and security panels that dial out
- Elevator emergency phones
- Fax machines
- Gate and call boxes
- Card terminals and ATMs
- Main business lines and phone systems
While you're moving off copper
Your phones
If your business phones are on Frontier copper lines, this is a good time to move them to a cloud phone system. You keep your numbers, and calls ring on desk phones, computers and cell phones.
See phone systemsYour internet
If your internet is DSL from Frontier, it runs over the same copper. And once your phones and alarms run over the internet or cellular, an outage affects all of them. We compare the providers that serve your address, and can add cellular backup so things keep working when the line is down.
Get a plan for your lines in Powell
Tell us what runs on your Frontier lines. We'll tell you which are affected and what we'd replace them with: business VoIP for phones and fax, and Ooma AirDial for alarm panels, elevator phones and other equipment. No obligation.
Prefer to talk? Call 623-307-5548.
Questions about Powell, TN
When is Frontier retiring copper phone lines in Powell, TN?
Frontier, which serves the Powell exchange, has filed with the FCC to retire copper phone service in portions of Tennessee, as of September 8, 2026. The filing covers parts of Tennessee and doesn't list addresses, so a line in Powell may or may not be included. Frontier has to notify customers before it changes their service.
How can I tell if my line in Powell is affected?
Check the phone number with our free line check, which matches it to its telephone exchange and the FCC filings that cover it, and watch for a written notice from Frontier. Filings that cover "portions" of a state don't list addresses, so the notice is the final word.
What happens to alarm, elevator and fax lines in Powell?
Anything that runs on a copper line stops working when the line does, so it has to move first. Phones and fax usually move to business VoIP. Fire alarm panels, elevator phones, gates and similar equipment usually move to a cellular replacement such as Ooma AirDial, tested with your alarm or elevator company before the copper line is cancelled.
Nearby areas
- Claxton, TN · Frontier
- Clinton, TN · AT&T
- Knoxville, TN · AT&T
- Solway, TN · AT&T
- Oak Ridge, TN · AT&T
- Norris, TN · AT&T
More: every Frontier filing · copper retirement timeline · all Tennessee towns · business internet options in Powell
Updated November 2, 2026 from public FCC filings and telephone exchange data. Not legal or regulatory advice.