Solving the Toxic Phone Cables Problem

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Toxic lead telephone lines: Searching for solutions

Millions of Americans could be affected by thousands of miles of toxic telephone cables, a Wall Street Journal investigation warned earlier this summer. These cables—some of which date back over half a century—are sheathed in lead, an element found to be toxic in humans. Following the report, three environmental groups requested that the Environmental Protection Agency investigate the lead cables issue.

But dealing with these cables is not a small or inexpensive task. It will cost billions, environmental litigation can take years, and there's the long and confusing issue of telecom cable ownership. To help make sense of it all, Tom Wheeler and Blair Levin discuss the law and science questions, which U.S. agencies are responsible for lead issues, and who pays for replacing the cables.

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A key point

"Cost estimates to remediate the [toxic cable] problem for the entire industry are settling in at between $4 and $20 billion. To put that number in perspective, the total capital expenditures of Verizon and AT&T were each around $20 billion in 2022."

— Tom Wheeler and Blair Levin

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