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Spectrum fiber lines vandalism should be labeled ‘domestic terrorism,’ Charter says

BBG News

Last month’s malicious damage to Spectrum’s fiber-optic cables, causing internet disruption for over 50,000 customers in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, has been deemed “domestic terrorism” by the company on Tuesday.

On June 15, an event in Van Nuys led to significant service interruptions for many Spectrum customers. For approximately 30 hours, some users experienced outages of their internet services while teams worked diligently to restore the company’s communication network.

Thirteen fiber optic cables from Spectrum, with approximately 2,600 separate fibers each, were damaged, resulting in the interruption of internet and phone services at crucial locations such as a U.S. military base, emergency response centers like 911 and others, fire stations, police departments, and healthcare facilities, as reported by Charter Communications, Spectrum’s parent company.

As a dedicated cinephile, I initially suspected that the culprits behind the destruction might have been individuals targeting copper for its high resale value – copper thieves, if you will.

Previously, it was believed that individuals ascended trees during the early morning to reach Spectrum’s fiber optic lines suspended between poles, causing the incident. These lines didn’t consist of copper but were still systematically cut in various locations by these suspects, leading to speculation about their intentions and potential acts of sabotage.

The Van Nuys incident highlighted the vulnerability of the communications networks.

John Lee, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, stated on Tuesday that intentional assaults on essential communication systems are a serious danger to our country’s safety. Such interruptions redirect valuable assets and can lead to widespread impacts.

California

It’s thought that individuals who abandoned traditional cable services were searching for copper wire. Although no copper was discovered, they ended up damaging the fiber-optic cables, leading to a large-scale internet blackout.

Normally, it’s the FBI or similar law enforcement bodies who decide if an event qualifies as domestic terrorism. Companies don’t hold the power to independently label incidents in this manner.

The FBI and Los Angeles Police Department did not have an immediate comment Tuesday.

Such incidents have been on the rise in recent years.

In the previous year, the telecom sector encountered approximately 6,000 deliberate incidents that harmed communication infrastructure, as reported by a coalition of broadband and phone industry advocacy groups. These incidents led to service interruptions for over 1.5 million customers, and the companies had to shell out millions of dollars to fix their networks.

Hollywood Inc.

This merger unites two of the nation’s largest cable providers, occurring as pay-TV companies experience a decline in their customer base.

In its declaration, Charter emphasizes the need for governments to treat acts of theft and vandalism as more severe offenses. Over twenty state legislatures have enacted bills in recent times, upgrading these crimes to felonies.

According to Charter, the Van Nuys event can be seen as an “act of homegrown terrorism” given the characteristics of the fiber cuts, the level of destruction, and the profile of the affected clients.

Chris Winfrey, CEO of Charter, stated that the deliberate cyber-attacks on our nation’s crucial communication systems result in disruptions which jeopardize lives. He suggested these dangerous occurrences be labeled as acts of domestic terrorism and handled with appropriate legal action.

Previously, Spectrum had put forth a $25,000 incentive for any information concerning the Van Nuys lines that could potentially result in an arrest.

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2025-07-01 21:01

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