When it comes to attacks on communications networks, cybersecurity might be at the top of your mind. But according to FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty, far less high-tech vandalism through copper wire theft at communications sites is an increasing danger.
In her pointed comments at a telecom industry infrastructure vandalism summit Tuesday, Trusty urged for harsher laws and penalties against a “growing epidemic” of attacks to privately owned infrastructure. The commissioner also called on the communications industry as a whole to beef up protection at hubs such as tower sites.
“(W)hen an entire small town loses connectivity because someone saw dollar signs in copper wire, that is not a prank,” Trusty said.
The commissioner delivered her remarks via video at the third Telecom Industry Incident Management and Prosecutorial Collaboration Summit in El Segundo, Calif., which is backed by several prominent telecom associations.
Copper theft grows
Radio World has reported on several copper thefts that have ravaged radio stations in the last two years. In May, copper thieves knocked 1030 WGSF(AM) in Memphis off the air, vandalizing its ATU units, displacing most of its phasor and causing approximately $170,000 in damage. WGSF co-owner Sergio Butron told us afterward that he had heard from station owners in West Memphis, Knoxville and Little Rock who had also experienced copper thefts.
A man and woman from Hugo, Okla., were sentenced in August for a copper theft in January 2024 that cut 95.5 KITX(FM)’s tower guy cables, subsequently causing the station’s tower to collapse.
One reader who had thefts at two of his radio station transmitter sites in a six-month span told us that recent thefts appear to be more calculated and organized.
According to a report released at the summit, there were approximately 9,770 incidents of network vandalism reported between January and June of this year, up from a total of approximately 5,700 during the same period in 2024, and a total of 15,540 incidents since June 2024.
Trusty cited several examples where county-wide 911 service was disrupted, as well as internet and TV service.
“That is a direct attack on the lifeblood of our economy and our daily life,” Trusty said.
Secure transmission sites
First and foremost, the commissioner said there must be harsher consequences for the actors who disrupt communications through equipment theft.
But she also called on the communication industry to do its part, as “the government cannot solve this alone,” Trusty said.
[Related: “Letter: It Falls on the Engineer to Ensure Transmitter Site Security”]
Providers of communication must invest in better physical security for fiber lines, substations and towers, Trusty explained.
She also directed for more cameras, tamper-proof housings and alarms at hubs that indicate when infrastructure is cut.
If a hub has been hit, its manager must share prompt updates on breaches, Trusty said. “When a line is cut in California, Indiana or Missouri, other providers should know right away, so they can monitor their networks for patterns and coordinate with law enforcement,” she said.
Punishment fits the crime
“Today, there is a dangerous gap in federal law,” the commissioner said.
Although the Department of Homeland Security recognized communications systems as one of the nation’s 16 critical infrastructure sectors, Trusty argued that laws and penalties have not kept pace as attacks multiply.
Current statutes make it a federal crime to attack communications facilities that are owned or operated by the U.S. government. But most networks across the U.S. are privately owned, Trusty explained.
As a result, if those facilities are vandalized, accountability is often left to a “patchwork” of state mandates.
Trusty referenced the Stopping the Theft and Destruction of Broadband Act of 2025, which was introduced in April by Reps. Laurel M. Lee (R-Fla.) and Marc Veasey (D-Texas).
The proposed law has the support of the cable and broadband industry groups.
She also urged local, state and federal law enforcement officials to treat vandalism incidents with severity, as Trusty implored that these are not just “cable outages.”
Trusty also advocated for better public awareness toward the severity of network vandalism, far more wide-reaching beyond connotations like graffiti or “petty theft.”
The commissioner also called on households and businesses that rely on traditional copper lines to transition to fiber, wireless or other technologies less vulnerable to copper theft.
“If we are serious about connecting America, we must be serious about protecting America’s networks,” Trusty concluded.
