Orientation summary — a fast, cited starting point, not a substitute for reading the filings. Generated from the public ECFS record.
Public comments — 246 filings
Sentiment of the general public's web-form comments — separate from the industry positions. 246 comments, 225 distinct versions after grouping form letters.
Bottom line: Public comments run overwhelmingly opposed. This reflects the volume of public write-in comments — not the weight of legal argument, or the standard the FCC applies.
Estimated split: 96% oppose · 4% other. Support = wants the FCC to adopt/keep the action; Oppose = wants it rejected; Unclear = neutral or off-topic.
How we know: 33% of comments are grouped form letters classified exactly; the rest are estimated from a random sample of 225 distinct comments.
Top themes
- emergency reliability — 28 (oppose)
- health concerns — 18 (oppose)
- COLR obligation — 15 (oppose)
- rural reliability — 11 (oppose)
- service discontinuation — 7 (oppose)
- emergency communication — 6 (oppose)
- health and safety — 6 (oppose)
- landline dependency — 4 (oppose)
What people wrote
- OPPOSE: “To the FCC: I’m writing to urge you to OPPOSE AT&T’s attempt to renege on their COLR (Carrier of Last Resort) obligation. Telecommunications must remain a public utility and the CPUC must remain the regulatory body in order to protect all Californians. ATT's bid to discontinue ” — 8 filed this
- OPPOSE: “Copper landlines work in emergencies when power is out. They supply their own power. Cell phone networks didn't work in CA fire disasters but landlines did. Battery back-ups for modems and routers (needed for cable and fiber-optic connections) are unreliable and only last” — 4 filed this
- OPPOSE: “Copper landlines work in emergencies when power is out. Cell phone networks didn't work in CA fire disasters but landlines did. Battery back-ups for modems and routers (needed for cable and fiber optic connections) are unreliable. Cell phone connections have cyber sec” — 3 filed this
- OTHER: “RE: Pacific Bell Telephone Company d/b/a AT&T California WC Docket Number 26-120, Comp. Pol. File & 2137 and Pacific Bell Telephone Company d/b/a AT&T California WC Docket Number 26-121, Comp. Pol. File & 2138 Dear The Federal Trade Commission Commission, It is my understanding t”
How this sentiment is measured
We read the public express comments from the FCC's ECFS record, group identical form letters and count them exactly, then classify a random sample of the distinct versions and extrapolate to all 246 comments. This is public sentiment only; it is not a measure of the legal merits or how the Commission will rule.
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