[schwoll]

Ask them for a landline phone. They'll either have to run new copper or choose to install fiber. Once they run copper then get a DSL company to run through that. Generally they won't want to run copper and don't want competition so they'll go ahead and run fiber. In either case I believe the law they're constrained by is local ordinances giving them a region based monopoly for traditional landline access in exchange for ensuring everyone has a phone. If you force the issue they'll run SOMETHING to your door. And through that something you'll have more options.

[MisterTea]

Will they still run copper? Out here on Long Island Verizon will not install new copper and existing cu lines are on 3rd party life support. Work had to replace a copper phone line for the fire alarm with an internet bridge and wireless backup after it went dead and the tech told us "We don't run new copper."

[schwoll]

In a bunch of areas the companies rely on legal monopolies that were given to them by the local governments. The agreement was they get a monopoly if they agree to install phone lines for everyone who asks. If they don't run copper then the next thing they'll do is run whatever is their preferred equivalent. It's a quasi government+private monopoly agreement that benefits both and ensures residents get phone lines.

[CapstanRoller]

Won't they funnel you into a VoIP "landline" instead? That's what Comcast does around here. I think they ripped out the copper long ago.

[jeremyjh]

They would run fiber to do that though. Hence GP's point that they will run SOMETHING.

[schwoll]

Correct. This is all based on my previous knowledge of my local monopoly agreements that someone told me about years ago. They refused for months to install internet until I asked people in my vicinity if anyone had asked for a phone line. Nobody had. So I did and instead of copper they ran fiber within 2 weeks.

I can only infer what happened but they really didn't want me to be without a regular phone line so I determined that was their legal weakness. The only way companies that large move like that is if something threatens their status with the local government. A call from a resident saying the company wouldn't install a phone line is a big no-no in my understanding.

[CapstanRoller]

In my area (Washington State, USA) this doesn't happen.

If you ask for phone service, Comcast will sell you a "landline" that just consists of a combo box cable modem and VoIP ATA. You can buy it with internet access or without, and they still give you the same equipment. The ATA part gives you an analog phone line to connect to your house phone wiring, but everything outside the house runs over existing coax infrastructure.

Maybe I'm not asking the right questions? It seems exceedingly difficult to get services over actual copper.

[Faaak]

In Spain they use the 4g/5g infra for that and provide you with a 4g to RJ11 adapter

[omginternets]

This sounds like great advice! I'll do this first thing tomorrow. Thank you!

[schwoll]

No guarantees bc it entirely relies on your local ordinances, but it did work for me when the company was giving me the runaround about internet. I just asked for a landline phone and they had fiber installed within 2 weeks.