CASE STUDY
Wauwatosa School District (WI) Beats an Imminent POTS Shutdown with RCN’s POTS Link – in Time and Without Disruption
Details
Location: Wisconsin
Deployment: 14 Buildings
Use Case: Elevator Emergency Lines, 911 Outbound Communication
Previous Provider: AT&T
Challenge: Cooper POTS shutdown with hard deadline
Solution Selected: RCN Technologies’ POTS Link
In late August, Wauwatosa School District faced a crisis.
AT&T informed the district that the analog copper POTS lines supporting all elevator emergency phones and 911 routing across 14 school buildings would be shut down on October 8. With only weeks to act, nob internal tolerance for risk, and previous failed attempts with two other vendors, the district needed a partner with real operational agility—and the technical capability to solve a life-safety problem under pressure.
Tim Patten, Communication Specialist for Wauwatosa School District, put it plainly:
“It was basically a coin flip whether the copper lines would work when we needed them… weather, wildlife, everything degraded those lines, and we never knew when they were down.”
The district had been trying for years to migrate off copper. Now they had no choice.
The Challenge
Copper Shutoff, Failed Vendors, and a Hard Deadline
Wauwatosa relied on analog lines for two critical functions:
- 911 outbound dialing for all 14 locations
- Elevator emergency communication
And yet:
- Two POTS replacement vendors had already failed functional testing
- Neither competitor could consistently route 911 calls through the districtís WebExb calling environment
- AT&T had already served notice that the copper was at end-of-life
- The shutdown date was non-negotiable
Because the failures were unpredictable, operations were constantly exposed to liability. Tim explained:
“We would only discover outages when we actually had to call 911… then someone would have to grab their cell phone. It just wasn’t dependable.”
The district also struggled with the inherent invisibility of copper analog lines: if a line went down, they wouldn’t know until a crisis.
What Wauwatosa needed wasn’t just a replacement. They needed a turnkey partner who could act immediately and deliver across 14 locations with zero disruption to school operations.
The Turning Point
AT&T Recommends RCN
After two failed vendors, Wauwatosa’s breakthrough came from an unlikely place:
AT&T themselves referred the district to RCN.
Once the team evaluated POTS Link, the decision became obvious.
“As soon as we found POTS Link, we were done with everyone else.”
RCN’s POTS Link solution uniquely addressed all problem areas:
- Certified and proven 911 pass-through with WebEx calling
- Complete removal of copper infrastructure vulnerabilities
- Real-time device
- visibility and line health monitoring
- Lower long-term operating costs
- Immediate ability to meet the October deadline
Tim summarized the impact clearly:
“We actually reduced our costs. It’s been a win-win for us.”
The Solution
POTS Link Built for Urgency and Precision
RCN’s engineering and project teams quickly mobilized a deployment plan that aligned with Wauwatosa’s tight timeline and unique constraints:
1. A Multi-Building Deployment Tailored to a School Environment
The district needed installation across 14 buildings—but only during small windows that wouldn’t disrupt students or staff. RCN planned and executed staggered deployments over multiple days, adhering to precise schedules provided by the district.
“Installation was exceptional. You let us direct the schedule… it had to be done across multiple days at specific times, and you made it easy.”
2. Full 911 Validation and Failover Assurance
Because elevator and 911 reliability was non-negotiable, RCN conducted rigorous testing before, during, and after installation.
3. A Second Pass for District-Wide Verification
Even after Tim believed the project was complete, RCN didn’t stop.
“I thought we were done, and then the team called back and said, ‘Let’s test everything again.’ We went building to building and verified every line. They did their due diligence.”
This final verification sweep created a level of assurance the district had never experienced with copper. Tim emphasized:
“I want you to know—it was the people. The team that helped with the conversions was very helpful.”
Results
Reliability, Visibility, Cost Savings, and Peace of Mind
Full Compliance and Predictability
Line reliability is now consistent, measurable, and fully supported.
Full Compliance and Predictability
Line reliability is now consistent, measurable, and fully supported.
Live Visibility Across All Lines
For the first time, the district has real-time confirmation that every emergency line is up.
Reliable Emergency Communications
No more outages from rain, snow, wildlife, or aging copper.
“We don’t have to worry anymore. It’s a much better solution for us.”
Relief and Confidence Across the District
The subjective impact was as meaningful as the technical upgrade.
Tim described it simply:
“There is a lot of relief, to be honest. It’s just so much easier.”
Advice to Other School Districts on Cooper POTS Lines
When asked what he would tell another district still relying on traditional analog phone lines, Tim didn’t hesitate
“Get rid of them. I’ve wanted to for years. I’m glad we finally moved off”
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