Rural Marathon County families face end of landline phone service

EASTON, Wis. (WSAW) - Frontier customers in rural Marathon County are preparing for the possible end of their landline phone service in mid-November, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

Lisa and Michael Steltenpohl live seven miles outside of Wausau in the Town of Easton. Frontier, which is owned by Verizon, is ending its copper-based phone service if the FCC allows it.

“They are because, you know, the older you get, you want to stay out here. I love where I live, but if you don’t have that service, it can be dangerous at times,” Lisa Steltenpohl said.

Living in a broadband dead spot

The Steltenpohls live in what they describe as a broadband “dead spot.” High-speed fiber-optic lines run along Highway J to the west and further east on Highway Z, but the infrastructure stops short of their neighborhood.

“We supposedly have fiber lines three-quarters of a mile west of us and about a third of a mile east of us, but nothing in this dead spot in between,” Michael Steltenpohl said.

Cell service is also unreliable in the area. Lisa said calls on her AT&T cell phone drop constantly inside the house, and she has to stand in the driveway to make a reliable call. The couple has tried using mobile hotspots, but the weak cell signal does not provide usable internet.

Without fiber or cell service, the Steltenpohls say their only remaining option for internet is a satellite service like Starlink, which neighbors pay upwards of $130 a month for. That is an increase from the $83 a month they currently pay for Frontier’s phone and basic internet package.

Safety concerns for neighbors

The lack of connectivity has raised concerns for residents in the neighborhood, who range from families with school-aged children to elderly residents. Lisa uses her landline to keep in touch with her elderly mother in Marshfield.

“The lady that owns the gas station on the corner, her mother-in-law has a medical lifeline, and she’s on Frontier. She’s very concerned about her being able to have that lifeline serviced if Frontier just cuts it off,” Lisa said.

Conflicting information from providers

The Steltenpohls have reached out to local and state officials but say they have not received concrete solutions. When they contacted customer service, they received conflicting information. One representative told them service would not be cut until fiber was available, while another representative from Verizon, which is in the process of acquiring Frontier, said the company does not currently have service crews in Wisconsin to lay new lines.

7 Investigates reached out to the company and received the following statement: “If a suitable replacement is not yet available, we will not discontinue the customer’s copper voice service at this time.”

Lisa said finding that suitable replacement remains the issue for the family.

“It doesn’t appear to be any real, clear, common solution from the ones we’ve spoke to around here because it’s a hodgepodge of all different things they’re trying to get by with,” Lisa said.

Family looks for its own solution

Fearing they will be cut off completely in November, Michael is taking action on his own. He recently purchased a 45-foot tripod television tower and plans to install it next to his house with a cellular booster to try to capture a signal over the surrounding trees.

“If somehow we get the word out there, then maybe the numbers will dictate some kind of change. There’s got to be a lot of people on some back gravel roads that don’t have a solution either,” Michael said.

The Steltenpohls say they are facing almost $50 more per month to stay connected as they explore their limited options.

“We can’t wait until November to do something about it,” Lisa said.

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