Spectrum Offers $25,000 Reward For Fiber Optic Vandals

June 3, 2025 – Three Spectrum fiber optic lines were cut in the Kansas City area, in May, according to the Kansas City Star, continuing a trend of network infrastructure vandalism linked to copper wire theft.

The price of copper wire has risen 30 percent in the last five years and the theft of this crucial material has run rampant. From June to December of 2024, 5,770 incidents of theft/vandalism of network infrastructure were reported across the country, according to one study by NCTA – The Internet & Television Association.

Alex Minard, vice president and lead legislative counsel at NCTA, reported 4,000 acts of vandalism in a three month period at a Broadband Breakfast Live Online panel in March.

Spectrum, whose lines were cut Saturday, is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. The internet provider has set up a tip line at 833-404-8477. AT&T has been offering $10,000 rewards in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for information on copper wire theft.

Google Fiber, who has also experienced these thefts, encourages the public to report suspicious behavior around telecommunication lines. “[If you see] folks out that don’t seem like their utility workers or otherwise…[it’s] important to us [that] people speak up when they see something,” Google Fiber general manager Andy Simpson told the Star.

This vandalism not only costs millions in property damage, it poses a threat to public safety. “Last summer we saw an incident of theft that left our 911 and Metro call system vulnerable,” Louisville, Kentucky Deputy Mayor Nicole George said durng the Broadband Live event. Damage to broadcast and broadband infrastructure can leave communities without essential resources including internet, radio, and telephone service.

Law enforcement and legislators have also taken steps to address this barrage of property damage. The FBI remains in contact with local law enforcement. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) signed a bill into law which expanded Kansas’ definition of critical infrastructure to include fiber optic lines and antennae.