Monrovia city officials are awaiting a response from Frontier Communications, one month after numerous residents reported losing their landline phone service. The city has made multiple requests for more information, including a timeline for repairs, but have heard nothing back from the telecommunications company.
“It’s very unfortunate that Frontier is not responding more urgently to a serious public safety concern,” said city manager Dylan Feik. “Many of those affected are elderly, do not have cell phones and/or rely on landlines as part of their emergency preparedness plans.”
A longtime Monrovia resident who asked to remain anonymous out of privacy concerns reported paying his Frontier bill on May 5, and his phone service going out on May 7. The 77-year-old retired teacher said while he has also received and paid his $50 bill for June, he, too, has heard nothing from Frontier.
“Two of my neighbors are elderly, and one of them is like me, she relies on her landline phone,” he said. “None of us have heard anything from Frontier and we’re all up to date on our bills.”
The customer said he had to buy a prepaid mobile phone, but since his landline phone number is all on his records, he urgently needs access to it.
“I would understand if they would have sent us a letter, explaining the copper theft, but if something is going to take this long, we should have received notification.”
The resident has filed a complaint with the Public Utilities Commission, and he was told on Wednesday that the agency is also still waiting on word from Frontier.
“When you call the number that is on the bill, you get someone from a call center that’s not even in this country, and they can’t help either,” he added.
Calls and emails to Frontier Communications corporate communications were not immediately returned. Calls to the company’s Baldwin Park office and a corporate communications telephone number in Louisiana were also not returned.
An official with Verizon did respond late Thursday and said she will look into the matter. The Verizon and Frontier merger was completed on Jan. 20.
On Aug. 21, 2025, Frontier Communications, a Verizon company, did release a statement saying copper thieves are targeting cable to sell.
The company tripled its reward to $15,000 for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of copper thieves, in effect across the company’s entire footprint.
Part of its strategy also includes working with law enforcement and regulatory agencies, using surveillance technology, officials said.
Monrovia Police Department could not confirm if an investigation on local copper theft is ongoing.