June 4, 2026
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Two reports released at today’s fourth Telecom Industry Summit: Protecting Critical Communications Infrastructure reveal an escalation in criminal attacks on broadband and communications networks, with over 18,000 incidents in 2025 disrupting service for 11.8 million customers nationwide.
“Protecting the Nation’s Critical Communications Infrastructure from Theft & Vandalism,” details the scope of these attacks and their daily impact across the country. The report also underscores a troubling trend: attacks are increasing, costs are rising, and consumers are bearing the burden. These incidents can disrupt emergency response and public safety communications, as well as business operations, healthcare, transportation, and everyday connectivity. The resulting outages can leave communities without critical communications services, while repairs and replacements can cost millions of dollars.
An updated economic analysis, “The Real Costs of Communications Outages Due to Infrastructure Theft or Vandalism,” by Edward Lopez, Ph.D., estimates that such disruptions imposed societal costs, mostly borne by consumers, ranging from $294 million to $1.47 billion in 2025.
These reports underscore a troubling trend: attacks are increasing, costs are rising, and consumers are bearing the burden. These incidents can disrupt emergency response and public safety communications, as well as business operations, healthcare, transportation, and everyday connectivity. The resulting outages can leave communities without critical communications services, while repairs and replacements can cost millions of dollars.