(Sacramento, CA) — AT&T must continue providing landline service in California. State utility regulators rejected a bid Thursday by AT&T to get rid of its traditional landline service for most of the Bay Area and much of the state.

Critics of the proposal say it would’ve cut a communications lifeline for thousands of older people and rural residents during power outages and natural disasters like wildfires and floods.

The company says it is committed to ensuring customers can keep their existing landline service until they have access to an alternative.