The FCC concluded that forcing carriers to maintain aging copper networks was discouraging investment in faster, more reliable alternatives like fiber and wireless broadband. Here's what the phase-out means for your service, your safety equipment, and your options going forward. The copper switch off is driven by the. Traditional broadband and phone lines are disappearing from the UK as more areas switch over to Full Fibre connections. It has kept our hospitals, schools and emergency services connected, powered card machines on our high streets and delivered some of the most important phone conversations. In both cases, though, the efforts tend to be haphazard and not thought out well enough or balanced sufficiently to get the best possible outcomes. These newer technologies better meet.