Sabha, Tamer
From:
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William M. Paparian
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 7:40 PM
Madison, Steve; Leclair, Phillip; Jomsky, Mark; Sabha, Tamer; cityclerk Fw: Subject: Legislative Policy Committee - October 6, 2026 - AT&T Copper WirelineServices (continued from 9/28 Item 8) [ ,i ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button (PAB). For more information about the PAB view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.
For the meeting packet: the guest essay is now published here:
https://pasadenanow.com/main/quest-ODinion-willlam-£)aparian-i-was-evacuated-in-the-eaton-fireDasadena-must-fiaht-to-keep-our-landlines-— Forwarded Message -—From: William M. Paparian To: Steve Madison <[email protected]>; Phillip Leclair<[email protected]>; MarkJomsky <[email protected]>; Tamer Sabha <[email protected]>; Cityclerk <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 04:35:14 AM PDT Subject: Subject: Legislative Policy Committee - October 6, 2026 - AT&T Copper Wireline Services (continued from 9/28Item 8) Dear Chair Madison:
I Thank you for placing AT&T copper wireline services on the September 28 agenda as Item 8 and for [ continuing the matter to October 6.1 ask the Committee not to receive and file this item. I ask you to recommend that the City Council take a formal position and direct staff to return with a draft i resolution.
1 Since July, a federal judge refused to freeze California's carrier-of-last-resort rules, while the FCC granted AT&T a path to discontinue copper service on or after June 1, 2027. The lawsuit and the I FCC preemption petition are still pending. That is why Pasadena should take a position now, before the 2027 cutoff.
I The Eaton Fire showed how quickly power outages and strained cell networks can leave residents without reliable communications. Copper landlines carry their own power and still support home alarms, smoke detectors, and medical-alert devices. I was evacuated on January 7,2025. I do not I want Pasadena to give up that backup until a replacement is independently shown to work through multi-hour outages and a mass evacuation.
I request that the Committee recommend a resolution that:
1. Opposes withdrawal of copper landline service in Pasadena's high wildfire-risk and poor- coverage areas until a replacement is independently shown to work under those conditions. 1 2. Urges the FCC and the California Public Utilities Commission to require that testing before copper service is discontinued.
3. Directs staff to return with a draft resolution for Council consideration, preferably at a date certain.
Respectfully,
William Paparian
2 9/30/26, 8:22 AM Guest Opinion: William Paparian; I Was Evacuated in the Eaton Fire. Pasadena Must Fight to Keep Our Landlines - Pasadena Now Guest Opinion: William
Paparian: I Was Evacuated in
the Eaton Fire. Pasadena Must
Fight to Keep Our Landlines
BY WILLIAM PAPARIAN, FORMER MAYOR OF PASADENA
Published on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 ] 4:32 am
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On the evening of January 7, 2025, as fierce Santa Ana winds whipped through the San Gabriel foothills, I was among the thousands ordered to evacuate as the Baton Fire exploded out ofEaton Canyon. Power flickered and failed across neighborhoods. Cell service became unreliable. In the darkness and chaos, clear information and the ability to make a call were anything but guaranteed.
The Baton Fire destroyed thousands of homes, claimed lives, and tested our emergency systems to the breaking point. Widespread power outages-tens to hundreds of thousands ofcustomers affected—hampered cell towers and Wireless Emergency Alerts. After-action reviews documented delays and inconsistencies in evacuation warnings, especially in vulnerable foothill areas. Some residents received little or no notice before flames arrived. 911 calls captured raw panic. In those moments, every reliable communication channel was a potential lifeline.
https://pasadenanow.com/main/guest-opinion-william-paparian-i-was-evacuated-in-the-eaton-fire-pasadena-must-fight-to-keep-our-landlines 2/6 9/30/26, 8:22 AM Guest Opinion: William Paparian: I Was Evacuated in the Eaton Fire. Pasadena Must Fight to Keep Our Landlines - Pasadena Now Traditional copper landlines remain uniquely valuable in such disasters. Unlike wireless orinternet-based phones, they carry their own low-voltage power from the central office and often continue to function even when local electricity is out. They support home alarm systems, smoke detectors, and medical alert devices that many residents—particularly seniors and those with health conditions—depend upon. In Pasadena's canyon and hillside neighborhoods, where cell coverage has long been spotty, landlines have served as a proven backup.
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Yet AT&T is moving aggressively to retire copper landline service for roughly 184,000California households and businesses. The company cites declining usage and high maintenance costs. With FCC approval providing a pathway forward, the utility arguesmodern wireless alternatives are superior. But the Eaton Fire demonstrated the fragility ofsystems dependent on both home power and cell infrastructure. When the grid fails and networks strain, those "modern" solutions can fail at the exact moment we need them most .Pasadena lived through this reality. Our city was directly in the fire's path. We cannot afford to dismantle a resilient layer of our emergency communications infrastructure before truly equivalent replacements are proven under disaster conditions.I urge the Pasadena City Council to act decisively. The Council's Legislative Policy Committee should immediately place this matter on its agenda and recommend that the full Counciladopt a resolution:
https://pasadenanow.com/main/guest-opinion-wil]iam-paparian-i-was-evacuated-in-the-eaton-fire-pasadena-must-fight-to-keep-our-landlines 3/6 9/30/26, 8:22 AM Guest Opinion: William Paparian: I Was Evacuated in the Eaton Fire. Pasadena Must Fight to Keep Our Landlines - Pasadena Now wmwm/i/as titwstaw VWIHWK.
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Opposing the premature retirement of copper landlines in high wildfire-risk zones.
Calling on the FCC and California Public Utilities Commission to require rigorous, independent testing of any replacements in real-world emergency scenarios.
Directing city staff to coordinate with state and federal officials to protect service for alarm systems, medical devices, and basic voice access in Pasadena.
This is not resistance to progress—it is responsible governance. Pasadena has always prided itself on preparedness and protecting our most vulnerable residents. Preserving reliable landlines as a disaster-resilient backup honors the lessons of the Eaton Fire and strengthens our city for whatever challenges lie ahead.
William Paparian is a former M.ayor of Pasadena and longtime resident of the city. «WIN OR DIF»»
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https://pasadenanow.com/main/guest-opinion-william-paparian-i-was-evacuated-in-the-eaton-fire-pasadena-must-fight-to-keep-our-landlines 4/6 Sabha, Tamer
From:
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Subject:
William M. Paparian
Sunday, October 4, 2026 4:45 AM
Madison, Steve; Leclair, Phillip; Jomsky, Mark; cityclerk; PublicComment-AutoResponse James MacphersonSubject: Written comment — Legislative Policy Committee, October 5, 2026 — Item 5, AT&T copper wireline services (continued from September 28) [ fr ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button (PAB). For more information about the PAB view article "KB0011474" on the DolTportal.
Chair Madison, Councilmembers Masuda and Rivas:
Please accept the remarks below as my written comment on Item 5, AT&T copper wireline services, continued from September 28. I also plan to speak.
I ask the Committee not to receive and file this item, and to recommend that the City Council adopt a position and direct staff to return with a draft resolution at a date certain.
Respectfully,
William PaparianWritten comment of William Paparian
Legislative Policy Committee — October 5,2026 Item 5: AT&T copper wireline services (continued from September 28) Chair Madison, members of the Committee:
I am William Paparian. My family and I were evacuated on January 7, 2025, during the Eaton Fire.
Thank you for continuing this item from September 28. I ask you not to receive and file it. I ask for a recommendation to the full Council and a direction to staff to return with a draft resolution at a date certain.
Three facts frame the legal landscape.
First, a federal judge in San Diego in July denied AT&T'S request for a preliminary injunction. That did not decide the merits. California's carrier-of-last-resort rules remain in force while the lawsuit proceeds.
Second, the FCC granted AT&T a path to discontinue copper voice service in listed wire centers on or after June 1, 2027. That grant covers specified areas. It does not, by itself, erase the state's basic- service obligation, and AT&T'S separate petition to preempt California's rules is still pending.
Third, the CPUC and the Attorney General argue the state's rules are technology-neutral. They argue those rules require basic service, not copper as such. The reliability question is therefore still open: what replacement works when power is out and cell networks fail. 1 That is the municipal interest. The Eaton Fire showed power outages and strained wireless alerts in our foothills. Copper lines carry their own power. Many alarms and medical-alert devices still dependon them. Pasadena cannot bind the FCC. It can put the City on record that no withdrawal should occur in high-fire and poor-coverage areas until a replacement is independently shown to workthrough multi-hour outages and a mass evacuation.
I ask the Committee to recommend that the Council:
One, adopt that position.
Two, urge the FCC and the CPUC to require that showing before discontinuance.Three, direct staff to return with a draft resolution.A receive-and-file leaves Pasadena silent before a 2027 cutoff. A recommendation does not decidethe federal case. It tells Sacramento and Washington what this city learned on January 7. Thank you. 2