Copper Theft and Vandalism Threatening Critical Infrastructure, Say Industry Leaders
Copper theft has evolved beyond petty crime into organized operations.
WASHINGTON, March 1, 2025 - Industry associations and local officials are raising alarms about a surge in copper theft and vandalism targeting telecommunications networks, warning that these crimes threaten public safety and disrupt essential services.
At a Broadband Breakfast Live Online event Wednesday, representatives from major telecommunications associations and local governments discussed the growing problem and potential solutions.
"Over a three-month period where we focused on our survey... there were nearly 4,000 acts of vandalism," said Alex Minard, vice president and lead legislative counsel at NCTA, the Internet and Television Association. "That translates into more than 1,300 a month, more than 40 instances every day."
Alexander Minard
High-high criminals, complex operations
Industry representatives stressed that copper theft has evolved beyond petty crime into organized operations.
"This isn't just petty theft... this is more elaborate and coordinated," Minard said. He described criminals using buried shipping containers as bases to strip copper from stolen wires, highlighting the sophistication of some operations.
Lynn Follansbee, vice president of strategic initiatives and partnerships at USTelecom – The Broadband Association, explained that the rising price of copper has driven much of the theft, but criminals target all telecommunications equipment regardless of whether it contains copper.
"Criminals go up in a pole thinking that they're going to pull down copper and make some money, and they pull down fiber lines," she said. "There is a huge part of it that is they are looking for copper... but some are more sophisticated than others."
Public safety concerns
Louisville, Kentucky Deputy Mayor Nicole George shared how her city formed a task force to address critical infrastructure disruption after copper theft disabled 30-50% of the city's interstate lighting.
"Last summer we saw an incident of theft that left our 911 and Metro call system vulnerable," George said. "It's a significant concern just in the way of public safety."
Jeremy Crandall, assistant vice president of CTIA, the wireless industry trade association, cited a specific incident in Denver where thieves targeting small cell sites caused nearly $1 million in damages and affected service throughout surrounding neighborhoods.
"One of our members that I talk to weekly, if not daily... says we get a call every single day about an important exposure related to vandalism or theft," Crandall said. "It is happening every single day out in our communities, and it's a real problem."
Legislative solutions
Industry and government representatives are pushing for stronger laws that properly define telecommunications equipment as critical infrastructure and increase penalties for theft and vandalism.
"In Kentucky quite frankly it was the expansion of telecommunications [definition] and also we're asking for an expanded definition around critical highway infrastructure which then would include our street lights," George said. "It's also the enhanced penalties component."
Follansbee noted that various state bills aim to expand critical infrastructure definitions beyond just fenced-in equipment.
"Some bills are improving laws for the copper recyclers to ensure that they are not selling stolen equipment," she added. "Other flavors of those legislative rules are more enhanced criminal penalties, which we think is a really important measure."
Crandall highlighted the unusual bipartisan momentum behind these efforts: "It is pretty rare to have... momentum and attention in red states and blue states and purple states to address a topic like this."
Industry response
The industry is working on multiple fronts, including cooperating with law enforcement, offering rewards for information, and implementing technological solutions like GPS-enabled cameras.
George mentioned that Louisville's task force includes law enforcement, telecommunications partners, utilities, and secondary metal recyclers working together on legislative solutions and enforcement strategies.
"We are looking at an array of strategies, all things from legislative to really being able to apply a better focus," she said.
Minard noted that providers face significant challenges in protecting widespread infrastructure: "You can't protect the number of miles of fiber that my members have strung across the country. You can't protect all of it all the time."
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners recently passed a resolution encouraging state commissions to collaborate with stakeholders on comprehensive solutions and for the industry to provide regular reports with aggregated statewide data on theft and vandalism incidents.
NCTA, US Telecom, CTIA, and NTCA jointly published a white paper on the issue last November following an industry summit in Dallas. They plan to host another summit in April in Missouri to continue addressing the problem.
Panelists
- Alexander Minard, Vice President & Lead Legislative Counsel, NCTA
- Lynn Follansbee, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships, USTelecom – The Broadband Association
- Jeremy Crandall, AVP, State Legislative Affairs, CTIA
- Nicole George, Deputy Mayor, Public Health and Public Services, Mayor Craig Greenberg Administration, Louisville, KY
- Drew Clark (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Alexander Minard is Vice President & Lead Legislative Counsel of NCTA – The Internet & Television Association. Alex is responsible for NCTA’s federal and state legislative portfolio and for the association’s advocacy and partnerships with various national intergovernmental organizations. Previously, he was at the Federal Communications Commission, most recently managing the high-cost universal service program.
B. Lynn Follansbee is the Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships for USTelecom. She leads the association’s efforts on state and third party engagement on policy issues impacting the broadband industry. She has also served as Vice President, Policy & Advocacy at USTelecom where she provided policy analysis and legal and regulatory support on a range of issues including broadband, universal service, telecom deregulation, privacy, and consumer protection. Lynn also represents USTelecom and its members before the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and other federal agencies.
Jeremy Crandall is Assistant Vice President with CTIA, responsible for advocating on state and local policy issues related to broadband and infrastructure. He brings 18 years of experience in state policy and advocacy, previously working across multiple states for the National Association of Community Health Centers, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Before these roles, he worked in Maryland state government and politics for Attorney General Brian Frosh and State Delegate Heather Mizeur. He lives in Arlington, VA.
Nicole George serves as Deputy Mayor of Public Health and Public Services in the Mayor Craig Greenberg Administration in Louisville, KY. Nicole’s 20 years of experience as a social work practitioner has enabled her to effect change at all levels of practice and both the legislative and executive branches of government. Nicole’s career in child welfare with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, laid the foundation for her understanding of comprehensive community need, the power of collective action, and the need for systems reform.
Breakfast Media LLC CEO Drew Clark has led the Broadband Breakfast community since 2008. An early proponent of better broadband, better lives, he initially founded the Broadband Census crowdsourcing tool to collect and verify broadband data left unpublished by the Federal Communications Commission. As CEO and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media community advocating for higher-capacity internet everywhere through topical, timely and intelligent coverage. Clark also served as head of the Partnership for a Connected Illinois, a state broadband initiative.
