By Lookout Staff

February 18, 2026 -- The City Council next Tuesday is expected to approve a nearly $1.5 million agreement to overhaul the City's old phone lines.

The proposed three-year agreement, calls for consolidating and replacing the City's Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) lines that support everything from alarm systems to elevators.

The no-bid contract comes as the City’s long-term agreement with Frontier for existing POTS services is expiring and telecommunications providers nationwide "are reducing investment in copper-based infrastructure," staff said.

"Legacy POTS services are increasingly subject to market-driven pricing and long-term sustainability concerns," staff from the City's Information Services Department wrote in a report to the Council.

The proposed agreement with Granite Telecommunications, LLC "allows the City to establish fixed pricing over a defined term, improving cost predictability" and reducing future rate increases.

The transition also offers an opportunity "to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the City’s copper-based POTS lines and reduce costs by decommissioning unused, redundant, or no-longer-needed lines," staff wrote.

Under the proposed agreement, Granite will provide consolidated billing, centralized service management and Internet-based telephone line replacement services.

"As telecommunications services continue to evolve, staff will monitor usage, adjust services based on operational requirements, and apply best practices to ensure the City’s telecommunications environment remains reliable, scalable, and cost-effective," according to the report.