Trade Groups to Host a Network Vandalism Forum on Capitol Hill
The July 15 summit will address the problems and potential solutions to copper theft and infrastructure vandalism
WASHINGTON, July 9, 2026 – As communications infrastructure theft grows, leading telecommunications trade associations are hosting a Capitol Hill summit to raise awareness about the issue.
NCTA, USTelecom and CTIA will host a summit on July 15 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET to address and raise awareness around the growing threat of theft and vandalism that targets critical communications infrastructure.
According to the media advisory, recent data shows more than 18,000 incidents of copper theft or vandalism were reported in 2025. Attacks last year disrupted connections for 11.8 million customers. Costs of repairs far outweighed the costs of stolen copper, with $294 million in outages causing $1.47 billion in societal costs.
The advisory says, “The summit will examine the scope of these threats and explore concrete, actionable solutions to protect the networks that millions of Americans and businesses depend on every day.”
The summit seeks to bring the U.S.'s leading communications executives, policymakers and regulators together to respond to threats. Rep. Laurel Lee, R- Fla., and Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, will talk about their Stopping the Theft and Destruction of Broadband Act bill.
The bill, introduced in April of 2025, would amend federal criminal law to include broadband facilities under protection for communications infrastructure, imposing stronger penalties for those who vandalize or steal broadband cables and equipment.
Federal Communications Commissioner Olivia Trusty is scheduled to speak. In June, the Republican FCC Commissioner urged Congress to take action regarding copper thieves and infrastructure vandals, saying, “Infrastructure vandalism is both a property crime and a national security vulnerability.”
Other speakers and attendees include: NCTA CEO Cory Gardner, USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter, CTIA CEO Ajit Pai, and senior telecom industry executives from companies facing vandalism issues, such as Verizon, AT&T, Charter, and Comcast.
