NCTA: Vandalism of Communications Infrastructure on the Rise

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2025 – A new study shows that telecommunications networks are still vulnerable to theft and vandalism.

NCTA - The Internet and Television Association, headquartered here, cited an April 9 update that tracked 5,770 reported incidents of vandalism and theft between June and December in 2024. These attacks reportedly disrupted service for more than 1.5 million broadband and wireless customers.

This was a substantial increase from the previous report, which noted about 3,929 reported incidents with disrupted service for 325,000 customers.

The updated report was released at the Telecom Industry Summit: Protecting Critical Communications Infrastructure in St. Louis, Mo., in collaboration with NCTA, Charter Communications, Verizon, AT&T, USTelecom and the Wireless Infrastructure Association.

The continued vulnerability of telecommunications networks poses a risk not only to consumers, who suffer from outages as a result of widespread damage, but also to first responders, financial institutions and healthcare facilities that rely on reliable connectivity.

Of the reported incidents of theft and vandalism, copper was a primary target for criminals. The report cited the rising market price for copper as contributing to an uptick in the targeting of utility poles, cellular towers, electric grids and construction sites. 

In response to the rising rates of theft and vandalism, industry leaders have called on local, state and federal authorities to develop a multi-sector response focused on increased protection, harsher penalties and more stringent scrap metal regulations.