POTS: The End of An Era and Start of New Beginnings

After a remarkable 100-year run, the FCC is officially encouraging the transition away from traditional analog copper POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) – the copper wires connected to a standard telephone, providing power and connectivity to a telephone provider’s central switching system.

The old-fashioned copper wires have been known for their business uses, including analog fax, voice, and alarm lines. However, holding on to the traditional copper wires, which make up the foundation of this aging infrastructure, could cause major disruptions to your organization’s workflow in the ever-evolving technological landscape. Now is the time to act.

Understanding the Regulatory Landscape

While the FCC has not mandated the decommissioning of POTS lines outright, significant regulatory changes have been made. Specifically, in FCC Order 19-72, adopted in August 2019, the Commission granted forbearance from certain regulatory obligations imposed on incumbent local exchange carriers (LECs). These changes included a transition period during which competitive LECs were required to make alternative arrangements in affected service areas. This shift does not mean that all POTS lines must be replaced with alternative services, but it does signal a strong move away from reliance on analog copper infrastructure.

Furthermore, in a subsequent order, FCC 20-152, the Commission addressed additional unbundling requirements for non-analog DS0 loops, further encouraging the move toward modern, digital communication methods. 

The Impact on Your Business

The world we live in continues to push forward in the realm of interoperability – a world where different systems or software can exchange and make use of information through the cloud. Imagine being able to fax important documents securely and efficiently by way of digital cloud fax technology instead of transmitting information precariously by copper wire running down the side of your street. Furthermore, recent studies show companies transitioning to cloud voice more now than ever.

Traditional wired systems are being actively replaced by data-driven and wireless delivery services via cloud, which are becoming main solutions for communication as we further interoperable environments. The transition to next-generation technology has been slow, even with carriers encouraging and incentivizing customers to make the switch.

Today, there are more than 36 million active POTS lines being used to support businesses in the United States. Many large corporations and businesses lean heavily on these lines for needs revolving around their in-house fax machines. Too much time is spent scanning, uploading, faxing, and filing – the never-ending cycle of the paper-based workflow. In addition to time-consuming clerical work, these in-house fax machines require constant updates – both physical and systematic – which require manual labor and a hefty payment. Analog Fax lines tied to traditional fax machines is a serious issue as no solution currently exists when clients move to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions. 

The Cost 

Not only is there the issue of communication between POTS and technologically advanced systems, but there is a critical issue around cost. The cost alone to service businesses with a POTS-based infrastructure is continuing to skyrocket as the price of copper coupled with the aging copper networks are simply too high to maintain. Telecom Carriers dealing with this increased cost are passing it on to their customers, incentivizing them to convert to less expensive next-generation technology. 

While some businesses might be hesitant to make the switch, it’s important to keep in mind that the benefits far outweigh any risks or roadblocks that might arise. Businesses will, however, make one of two options when deciding to make their move: stick with their current provider, or find a new provider specifically suited to fit their migration needs. 

The Solution

We invite you to work with and trust eFax Corporate®: the secure cloud fax solution that has been trusted and relied on by Fortune 500 Companies for over 25 years. Our cost-effective, compliant cloud faxing service requires no hardware or software. 

• eFax Corporate works seamlessly with a business’ current network operations 
• Clients can easily integrate online faxing with existing SAP applications or use our custom Fax API to integrate to EMRs and other database systems 
• Businesses can also integrate eFax Corporate to fax directly from multifunction printers and devices (MFPs) 
• Internet faxing with eFax Corporate gives your business a streamlined faxing process and substantially lowers overall faxing costs 
• Our HITRUST CSF Certified® services can help businesses meet industry-specific compliance requirements from HIPAA and HITECH to SOX, GLBA compliance and more 

Our cloud fax solution boosts interoperability by leveraging the fact that everyone already has fax technology, as it remains one of the most widely used methods of exchanging private records world-wide. 

Don’t wait – make the switch to eFax Corporate today. Cloud fax, reimagined for enterprise.