What to do › Fax machine

A fax machine on a copper line

Fax works poorly on some replacement lines, so choose with care and test before the copper line is gone.

First: is the line on copper?

• Ask your phone company: “Is this line on copper or on fiber?” They can see it on the account.
• A corded phone that kept working through a power outage, with no battery backup, usually runs over copper.
• If the phone line plugs into a Verizon Fios box (an optical network terminal) on a wall or in the basement, the line already runs over fiber, and a copper notice may not apply to it.
• Lines from a cable company or a mobile company don't run over Verizon's copper.

The plan

1. Choose a replacement

   An online fax service lets you send and receive faxes by email or in a browser, and many can take over your fax number.

   An internet phone line can carry a fax machine if the provider supports fax. Ask whether it supports T.38, the standard for fax over the internet.

   Some cellular landline-replacement devices support fax. Ask before you buy, because not all do.

2. Test before you switch

   Send and receive a few faxes, including a long one, before the copper line is gone.

3. Tell the people who fax you

   If the number changes, update it on your forms, your website and with anyone who sends you faxes.

Each office's page shows the date in Verizon's notice. Verizon says it may ask customers to move “well before” that date, so it pays to start early.

What to ask

• Can you move our existing fax number?
• Do you support fax on this line (T.38)? Is that in writing?

After the change

• A test fax goes out and one comes in.
• A long fax arrives complete.

From MeiSIM USA

MeiSIM USA doesn't sell fax service.

In New Jersey?

Check whether Verizon has filed a notice for the office that serves your line, and get an email if it changes.

Check a New Jersey number

The other plans

• Fire alarm panel
• Elevator emergency phone
• Security or burglar alarm
• Gate or door phone
• Card terminal or ATM
• Home phone or medical alert

Verizon's New Jersey copper retirement notice names the alternatives itself: “VoIP service from Verizon or a cable company, or fixed or mobile wireless service from multiple providers including Verizon Wireless.”