Industry Urges Federal Action to Stop Attacks on Critical Communications Infrastructure
Trade groups seek tougher laws on broadband sabotage.
WASHINGTON, August 5, 2025 – In a letter addressed to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday, four telecom trade associations demanded federal action to address the spike in coordinated attacks on the nation’s communications infrastructure.
“Critical infrastructure attacks pose a significant national security threat,” the letter warned. “These attacks demonstrate increasing sophistication, coordination and intent to disrupt services with potential economic and societal consequences.”
Signed by America’s Communication Association, NCTA – The Internet and Television Association, NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, and USTelecom, the letter called for the passage of legislation, including H.R. 2784, the Stopping the Theft and Destruction of Broadband Act of 2025, to protect Americans from these attacks.
The proposed legislation would close a legal loophole that only criminalizes attacks on government-owned communications systems. Under current laws, privately operated networks – which host the vast majority of consumer internet traffic and serve as the backbone of 911, hospital, and financial systems – fall into a gray area.
H.R. 2784 – sponsored by Reps. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., and Marc Veasey, D-Texas – would reaffirm federal jurisdiction over communications infrastructure and impose penalties for the destruction and theft of private communications network facilities.
As the trade groups explain in their letter, “support of such legislation would underscore the government’s commitment to safeguarding the physical security of critical assets and to prosecuting those who seek to sow economic and social upheaval by attacking the networks upon which so many consumers and businesses rely.”
“Our networks serve as lifelines that must be defended as vigilantly as power grids, water supplies, and transportation hubs,” the groups iterate.
According to a 2025 report, sponsored in-part by NTCA, NCTA, and USTelecom, there were at least 5,770 reported incidents of targeted theft and vandalism against communications infrastructure reported nationwide in the last seven months of 2024, resulting in disrupted internet service for more than 1.5 million Americans and millions of dollars in damages.
These attacks “pose an existential risk to emergency response systems, healthcare services, transportation, financial networks, and the daily operations of communities across the country,” the letter claims.
Examples of such attacks highlighted in the letter include the intentional disabling of 911 call centers, interruption of first responder networks, and the severing of communications links at military bases.
While the letter’s signatories commend the investigative and enforcement efforts of the DHS and FBI, and applaud the support provided to state and local partners in responding to attacks, they make the following recommendations:
- Treat communications infrastructure attacks as “domestic terrorism when the facts warrant”;
- Allocate additional federal investigation and enforcement resources to regions with high incident rates; and
- Extend intelligence sharing initiatives across federal, state, and local bodies, as well as with communications providers.
The four industry groups conclude their letter by expressing their dedication to protecting America’s communications infrastructure.
“Communications providers stand ready to partner at every level of government to protect America’s essential networks,” they write. “These infrastructures are far more than economic engines — they are lifelines that connect families, sustain communities, and keep our nation safe. Together, we must treat these threats with the urgency and gravity they deserve.”
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