America is in a global race for technological leadership. China understands this. Beijing is investing aggressively to dominate artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing, advanced communications, and next-generation digital infrastructure. It shows no sign of slowing down. The question for the United States is simple: Will we build the networks of the future or keep spending billions to preserve the networks of the past?Incredibly, there is a debate over how and when to allow broadband providers permission to retire old copper phone lines. This is like having to get permission to replace dial-up phones with today’s handhelds. And the answer matters not just to the telecom industry, but to everyone who depends on reliable, affordable connectivity.For more than a century, copper lines helped connect households and businesses. They served the country well. But copper was built for an analog age, not for AI, telehealth, supercomputing, precision logistics, and the modern digital economy.
THE COPPER CRISIS: OVERCAPACITY IN CHINA AND UNDERINVESTMENT IN AMERICA
Today, only a small fraction of customers still rely on traditional copper service. In one recent case, AT&T said copper serves only about 3% of households in its California territory, a share that reflects the rest of the nation. Yet the company is required to spend roughly $1 billion annually maintaining that legacy network. That billion dollars does not improve a single connection. It does not expand broadband to an underserved community. It is a regulatory mandate to preserve infrastructure that most customers have already left behind.
