The Simple Truth: Remember how your grandma’s old phone worked even when the power went out? Those same copper phone lines are still running your elevator emergency phones and fire alarms across all your business locations.
But here’s the problem: phone companies can now shut them off tomorrow without telling you. And when they do, your buildings could become unsafe and illegal to operate.
What Are POTS Lines? (Think Old School Phone Lines)
POTS stands for “Plain Old Telephone Service.” Picture the phone lines from the 1950s – actual copper wires running underground and on telephone poles. Most businesses switched their regular phone calls to modern systems years ago, but these old copper lines are still secretly running important stuff in your buildings.
If you have multiple business locations in the Southeast, you probably have POTS lines powering:
- That emergency phone in your elevator
- Your fire alarm system that calls the fire department
- Your security system that calls when someone breaks in
- Maybe an old fax machine that somehow everyone still needs
These systems needed the old copper lines because they carried electricity. So even when your building lost power, the elevator phone still worked because the phone line itself had juice running through it.
The Big Problem: The Safety Net Just Disappeared
Here’s what changed and why you should care: Phone companies used to have to give you six months warning before they could shut off these old lines. That gave you time to plan and replace them without freaking out.
That rule is gone. In March 2025, the government (the FCC) basically said “phone companies, you don’t have to warn people anymore when you’re shutting off the old copper lines.”
Now phone companies can decide on a Tuesday to shut off all the old copper lines in Atlanta, and they might give you 30 days notice, 90 days notice, or sometimes no notice at all.
Think about what this means if you have 10 restaurant locations: You could show up Wednesday morning and find that the emergency phone in every elevator is dead, and your fire alarm systems can’t call for help anymore.
Your buildings would be out of code and potentially illegal to operate until you fix it.
Want more depth?
For businesses with multiple locations, I’ve created a full POTS Replacement Guide (free eBook) — it walks you step by step through migration, cost modeling, and case studies.
→ Download the POTS Replacement Guide
Why This Hits Multi-Location Businesses Hard
If you only had one building, this would be annoying. But if you have multiple locations across the Southeast, this could be a nightmare.
Let’s say you have 15 locations and each one has 4 of these old phone lines. That’s 60 lines total. When the phone company decides to shut down copper service in your area, all 60 lines could go dark at the same time.
Now you’re scrambling to fix life-safety systems at 15 different locations while competing with hundreds of other businesses trying to do the same thing. Good luck getting a technician next week when everyone in your city needs one.
The Money Problem: You’re Getting Robbed Monthly
While you’re at risk of sudden shutdowns, you’re also paying crazy money for technology from the Eisenhower administration.
Here’s what we’re seeing multi-location businesses pay per month:
- Basic POTS lines: $35-50 each
- Standard business POTS lines: $75-150 each
- Emergency-grade POTS lines: $200-320 each
Real Example: We have a client with 8 locations who was paying $180 per month for each old copper line. With 6 lines per location, that’s $8,640 per month ($103,680 per year) for phone lines that could disappear tomorrow.
After we switched them to modern replacements, they now pay $1,800 per month ($21,600 per year). That’s $82,000 in annual savings while eliminating the risk of sudden disconnection.
The Smart Solution: POTS in a Box (It’s Exactly What It Sounds Like)
The good news is that the replacement technology is better than the old stuff. It’s called “POTS in a Box” – literally a small device that makes your old systems think they’re still connected to copper phone lines, but they’re actually using modern networks.
These aren’t cheap home gadgets. These are industrial-strength devices that fire marshals approve for your elevator phones and alarm systems.
Here’s what makes them better:
- Multiple backup connections: If your internet goes down, it switches to cellular. If cellular has problems, there’s a third way out.
- Battery power for days: Just like the old copper lines worked during power outages, these have battery systems that last for several days.
- Someone’s always watching: We monitor them 24/7 and fix problems before they become emergencies.
- Fire marshal approved: They meet all the same safety codes, so your buildings stay legal.
Why Multi-Location Businesses Love This Solution
Installation is surprisingly easy: It takes 1-2 hours per location, and your systems are only offline for a few minutes during the switch. We’ve done locations where the downtime was literally 30 seconds.
It scales perfectly: Whether you have 3 locations or 50, we can coordinate installations so you’re never scrambling to meet code requirements.
You control the timeline: Instead of getting a surprise disconnection notice, you plan the upgrades when it works for your business.
How We Make This Painless for Southeast Multi-Location Businesses
At Justin Hall Consulting, we’re the Southeast’s one-call solution for businesses with multiple locations. We handle everything from structured cabling to security to telecom, so when you need to upgrade technology across 10 or 50 locations, you make one call instead of managing a dozen different vendors.
For POTS replacement, here’s how we’re different:
- We don’t mark up the equipment (you pay what the phone company charges, and they pay us directly)
- We work with 4 different providers so you get the best solution for your specific situation
- We coordinate multi-location rollouts so you don’t have to manage installations at a dozen different sites
- Our technicians are in-house so you’re not waiting for some contractor’s contractor to show up
The Real Numbers: What This Saves Multi-Location Businesses
Small Multi-Location Business (5 locations, 20 total lines):
- Old copper cost: $2,000/month
- New solution: $500/month
- Monthly savings: $1,500 (that’s $18,000 per year)
Medium Multi-Location Business (15 locations, 60 total lines):
- Old copper cost: $6,000/month
- New solution: $1,500/month
- Monthly savings: $4,500 (that’s $54,000 per year)
Plus you eliminate the risk of sudden disconnections that could shut down your operations.
Looking for the full playbook?
The blog gives you a simplified overview, but my eBook dives into the full migration plan, wiring checks, vendor evaluation & more.
Get the free POTS Replacement Guide here
What You Need to Do Right Now
Don’t wait for a disconnection notice that might never come. Remember, phone companies don’t have to warn you anymore.
Step 1: We’ll find out what you have – you don’t lift a finger. Just email us your phone bill, and we’ll identify every POTS line you’re paying for. If you have 5+ locations, you can sign a simple letter of authorization and we’ll get all your billing information directly from the carriers. You literally don’t have to do anything except sign one piece of paper.
Step 2: We’ll show you exactly what you’re spending and what you could save. No guessing, no estimates – real numbers from your actual bills across all locations.
Step 3: We coordinate everything. You don’t manage multiple vendors or track installations across different sites. We handle the entire rollout so you stay compliant everywhere without the stress of emergency replacements.
Frequently Asked Questions (The Stuff Everyone Asks)
Q: How fast can phone companies really shut these off? A: Since March 2025, they can do it without warning. We’ve seen entire metropolitan areas lose copper service with just 30 days notice.
Q: Will this mess up my fire alarm or elevator? A: Nope. These devices are specifically designed to work with existing equipment. Your fire marshal will approve them.
Q: What if my internet goes down? A: The device automatically switches to cellular backup, so your safety systems keep working.
Q: How long does installation take at each location? A: Usually 1-2 hours, with just minutes of downtime. We’ve done some in under an hour.
Q: Can you handle all my locations at once? A: Yes, we coordinate multi-location rollouts all the time. That’s what we do for Southeast businesses.
Take Action Before the Scramble Begins
Smart multi-location business owners are handling this now while they can control the timeline and costs. The ones who wait will be competing with everyone else when their local phone company decides to retire copper infrastructure.
Contact Justin Hall Consulting for a free assessment of your POTS lines across all locations. We’ll show you exactly what you have, what it’s costing you, and what it would take to future-proof your buildings before the old phone lines disappear.
We serve multi-location businesses across the Southeast (from small franchises to PE-backed chains to professional service firms). If you have multiple locations and want one partner to handle technology upgrades without the vendor roulette, that’s exactly what we do.
Don’t let outdated phone lines put your business locations at risk. Let’s get this handled while you still control the timeline.
That’s the ELI5 version of why POTS lines must go.
If you want the full roadmap — with detailed steps, cost models, checklists, and real case studies — download my POTS Replacement Guide (free eBook) below:
→ Download the eBook now
Free assessments and installations coordinated at no cost to multi-location business clients. Phone companies pay us directly through commission structures, so you get vendor-neutral advice and competitive pricing without markups.