Industry Leaders Launch STRIKE Coalition as Officials Warn of Deliberate Cable Cuts

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2025 – Communications industry leaders and federal officials are warning that copper theft is evolving into a broader threat to U.S. broadband infrastructure, with some cable cuts showing signs of intentional sabotage.

At the TechExpo25 conference in Washington on Tuesday, executives from Comcast, Charter, and NCTA – The Internet & Television Association joined the FBI to call for stronger laws and coordinated industry action. The event was hosted by former FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, who is now president of MPORielly Consulting.

A new initiative called STRIKE — the Strategic Threat Response & Infrastructure Knowledge Exchange, was also part of the discussion. The executive-level coalition is co-led by the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, a subsidiary of CableLabs, and NCTA, and includes senior leaders from Comcast, Charter, Cox, GCI and Mediacom.