Shonte Dudley, a South Los Angeles resident, couldn't grasp her mother, Mabel Bush, and used the 92-year-old's phone call for months.

Bush, who lives in South Los Angeles near the Ingwood border, has maintained a history of AT&T for nearly 50 years. But sometime in September 2024, her landline stopped working. Dudley, 52, called the company, which told her that someone had stolen copper wire from a landline cable.

Services have recently resumed, but Bush’s family spent months worried because landlines all attracted women’s life alert services – sometimes home cameras they used to monitor movement inside the house.

For eight months, Dudley spoke to his mother through the caregiver's cell phone.

She said this is not the first time to serve.

"It's coming again," Dudley said. "We can't communicate with mom if the phone and cameras are off. We've had this problem before, but it's never been that long."

Dudley ABC7 is by your sideThe reporter said that she called the company on her behalf. The next day, a technician arrived at his mother's home and repaired the landline cable within a few hours.

Dudley said her landline and neighborhood street lights have also been out regularly due to copper wire theft, which he believes is only a matter of time, it is only a matter of time.

"My mom's neighbor lives across the street and her phone came out," Dudley said. "There are a few people in my church in Compton and South Los Angeles and their phones were taken out."

Cora Brown, 72, told Times that her landline has been falling since September 2024. Brown lives with her husband in South La, near Compton, about three months ago when she stopped working due to a copper wire theft.

"I don't even remember how many times I called AT&T. I called and called and called," Brown said, "The last few times she said, without an answer. “They still send the bill.”

Brown received a $537.38 bill on May 3.

“I’m tired of them,” Brown said. “I’m thinking about switching.”

Dudley said the bills piled up as the mother's landline dropped. Bush paid for a while and paid $124 a month for unoperable landlines. Dudley canceled his mother’s automatic salary and said AT&T sent a gift card to compensate for overpayments.

An AT&T spokesman said the company recently saw an increase in copper wire thefts in South Los Angeles recently, with copper wire thefts in the area increasing, according to 2021 data from the Department of Urban Planning. AT&T's power outage site Due to cable damage, multiple landlines in Los Angeles were reported, some of which lost their scheduled repair dates.

"Theft and undermining critical communication infrastructure are serious issues, undermining essential services for customers, public safety and the community as a whole. This is an increasingly serious issue in the area and we are working closely with public safety to our shared interests in combat copper theft in Los Angeles," AT&T said in a statement. "We understand how frustrating copper theft is for our customers, and it is not an acceptable customer experience. We apologize for the inconvenience you have caused."

In 2024, the City Council of Los Angeles worked with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Bureau of Street Lighting to create a task force to curb copper wire thefts in utilities. Total 82 people arrestedmore than 2,000 pounds of stolen copper wire were recovered.

Before the task force, Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights and El Sereno I saw their street lights stripped off the copper wire, leaving multiple blocks in the darkness. City politicians estimate repair costs more than $17 million.

The spokesman said that copper wire is expensive and difficult to purchase.

“Historically, copper theft was a big problem in southern Los Angeles,” he said. “For those affected, we offer AT&T phone progressive products that rely on our fiber wireless networks, which is hard to steal.”

The AT&T fiber network installed underground uses thin, bundled fiberglass to provide internet services through light waves, According to AT&T.

Verizon's Frontier Network provides similar fiber optic services to Hacienda Heights residents After the copper wire thief Last year, their landlord was tampered with.

Customers like Dudley said they are not interested in wireless technology.

"There are suggestions like installing cameras to find people who are stealing copper, and people think of it," Dudley said. "It seems that AT&T is not trying to come up with a solution because they want to get rid of landlines. So they keep raising prices and shuffling for repairs."

Regina Costa, director of telecommunications policy for Consumer Advocacy, works on California utility services, which corresponds to Dudley’s emotions.

“People do want landlords,” Costa said. "It's ridiculous to think that a customer who needs such a long time to do service repairs. But it's part of the AT&T game plan to reduce the entire service in California, targeting only the most profitable areas."

AT&T submitted an application last year In the California Public Utilities Commission, efforts have been made to escape its obligations as a carrier of Last Resort. According to AT&T, companies must provide basic telephone service (usually landline service) to any customer. The committee rejected the request.

"The committee is seeking to change the last rule of the last forced carrier, but at the same time, AT&T has tried to get them to do it for them," Costa said. "They are operating the bill, AB 470which will eliminate the obligation to provide these services to customers. ”

AT&T has not commented on its efforts to eliminate landline services.

Costa Rica says landlords are crucial in natural disasters. As AARP reports, advances in cell phones and GPS technology, as well as other factors, have improved 911's support for cell phones. But when a storm or fire knocks off the power, the copper wire garden will continue to work.

"I'm in the woods of Sonoma County, where a fire is within a mile of here. We know that if the power goes out, anyone who owns (smartphones) will lose service unless they have a copper landline," she said. "So these women are like canaries in the coal mine, which is a sign of what's really going on at this company. And, there are thousands of Californians who have experienced the same thing."

For Dudley, the landline phone provides a sense of security when it comes to mothers.

"In the 80s or 90s, no one advocated them. Without telephone service, you can just stop and see them," she said. "But, what if that person lands in the middle of the night? What if the house catches fire? Or gas leaks. It's very dangerous."

A spokesman said AT&T will offer a $5,000 reward for specific and detailed information that leads to arrest and conviction of copper wire thieves or attempts to buy or purchase stolen copper wire from AT&T in the Los Angeles-area. Promptenders can also call (800) 807-4205 and T Global Security and Investigation.