Passing Pigeons and Phone Lines

WINDHAM - There was a time when copper connections were the cat’s meow of communications, but they are apparently going the way of the historically heroic messenger pigeon and maybe very soon.

Not so fast, say Greene County Legislature members, They have given preliminary support to a resolution resisting a major change in landline phone service provided by Verizon, possibly by the end of November.

The resolution was expected to be passed, October 13, during a meeting of the Public Safety committee, awaiting full board backing later this month.

Committee chair and mountaintop lawmaker James Thorington (District 6, Prattsville, Ashland, Jewett & Windham) brought the matter to the legislative floor after hearing concerns from constituents.

Thorington was joined by fellow mountaintop lawmaker Daryl Legg (District 7, Hunter, Lexington & Halcott), quickly gaining support from colleagues.

The resolution states, “Verizon has announced its intention to discontinue traditional copper landline telephone service in certain areas, with a proposed shut-off date of November 30, 2026.

While the Federal Communications Commission has not yet given its final blessing to the shift, county officials are taking a proactive approach.

“Numerous residents of Greene County, particularly those living in rural,

mountainous and outlying areas, rely on copper landlines as their only dependable form of communication due to inconsistent and unreliable access to cellular phone services,” the resolution states.

“Greene County frequently experiences extended power outages-sometimes lasting several days or weeks-during which copper landline service continues to function without the need for household electricity, providing a critical lifeline for emergency communication.

“The discontinuation of copper landline service would leave many households, especially those in hard-to-reach areas, without any reliable means of contacting emergency responders during storms, natural disasters, and infrastructure failures,” the resolution states.

“This proposed discontinuation poses a particular danger to senior residents who may not use, understand, or have access to cellular phones or internet-based communication methods, and for whom traditional landlines remain essential to their safety and independence.

“Greene County administers a Senior Call-In Safety Program, operated by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, which provides daily welfare check-in calls to participating seniors-many of whom depend on traditional landlines as their primary and most reliable form of communication.

“The termination of copper landline service threatens the functionality and

effectiveness of this vital public-safety program and places vulnerable residents at increased risk,” the resolution states.

Greene County, therefore, “opposes Verizon’s proposed discontinuation of copper landline telephone service…unless and until reliable, resilient, and fully accessible alternative communication methods are available to all residents, regardless of geography, income, or technological ability.”

Further, the legislature “calls upon federal and state representatives to advocate on behalf of Greene County residents and protect the continuity of copper landline service for all communities lacking reliable alternatives,” the resolution states.

Verizon is applauding the transition, pointing to the increasing costs and incessant repairs for an aging system on one end, along with greater speeds and improved performance on the other.

It is too swift and premature for some. “This is crazy,” Thorington said of the deadline. “There are a lot of people who don’t even have fiber to their house yet,” a worry echoed by county administrator Shaun Groden.

“Some folks have to stand on one leg with tin foil on their head to get any service, even with fiber.,” Groden says. “We’re asking Verizon to hold off until more research is done to offer better options or maintain copper.”

Rechargeable battery backup devices would be available, lasting roughly 24 hours, an impractical - how would they be recharged with no power during lengthy outages? - a not-long-enough solution for some.

“This is a serious issue with a lot of our seniors,” said lawmaker Sherry True (District 8, Cairo). “A lot of them are getting nervous.”

Legg, similarly voicing concerns, particularly for older citizens, also rued the possibility of copper lines becoming the next extinct messenger.

“This isn’t a good idea. If you are going to take something away, you have to have something to replace it that is as good or better,” Legg said.

“Cell service in many places already sucks. What about the dead spots in Lanesville and Westkill? What’s going to happen there? It’s not always good to get rid of the old ways,” Legg said. “Jeepers.”

While fiber optics are taking over, copper will be sticking around, having laid the foundation for the first transatlantic telegraph cable, laid on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, sending messages between Europe and North America, a seeming 19th Century technological miracle.

“Without the use of copper, the development of telegraphy, and thus long-distance communication, would have been impossible,” according to an Electrispower website.

More emotionally unforgettable is “Cher Ami,” a homing pigeon known for his military service during World War I, especially the Meuse-Argonne offensive in October 1918, according to Wikipedia.

Legend has it that “dear friend” carried a message alerting American forces to the location of the Lost Battalion while being wounded in the breast, losing his right leg and being blinded in his left eye.

Pigeons have been used for message carrying since at least 3000 BC, serving as life-and-death communication links for militaries.

The U.S. Army Signal Corps began enlisting pigeons in 1878, mustering them out honorably in December, 1956.