In my yard there is a "call before digging" type cylinder that had fallen over by like 5 degrees, revealing some of the telephone wiring inside. I called the AT&T number on the cylinder and reported it -- about 8 years ago. Since then I've sliced and diced those exposed cables many times over doing yardwork and it's still there.
I'm sure there is just so much obsolete and unused copper wiring out there that will remain even after a complete shutdown.