US telecom providers demand action to protect internet and network systems

Four major telecom trade groups in the US are urging federal agencies to take stronger steps to protect the country’s communications infrastructure, Data Centre Dynamics reported. In a letter sent to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel, the groups say attacks on telecom networks are getting more frequent and better coordinated – and they want tougher laws and penalties to stop them.

The letter, signed by the Internet & Television Association, ACA Connects, NTCA, The Rural Broadband Association, and USTelecom, comes as telecom providers in the country deal with a wave of theft and sabotage. “We write today to highlight a significant and rapidly growing threat,” the groups said, referring to organised attacks that target essential communications systems.

The attacks often involve stealing copper or fibre equipment, or deliberately damaging network lines. Some have disrupted phone and internet services for large numbers of people. Charter Communications recently described one such incident as an “act of domestic terrorism.”

The damage isn’t just financial. A recent joint report from the four groups found at least 5,770 reported incidents of theft and vandalism against telecom infrastructure in the last seven months of 2024. More than 1.5 million people lost internet access as a result, and the cost of the damage ran into the millions.

The groups say attacks are becoming more dangerous and are starting to resemble national security threats. Telecom networks are one of 16 critical infrastructure sectors recognised by the Department of Homeland Security. When these systems go down, the effects can ripple through emergency services, airports, military bases, and other sectors that depend on stable communication.

“Critical infrastructure attacks pose a significant national security threat,” the letter said. “The attacks demonstrate increasing sophistication, coordination, and intent to disrupt services with potential economic and societal consequences.”

The groups are now calling on the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to back stronger penalties for crimes targeting telecom infrastructure. They want Congress to change federal law – specifically, Title 18, Section 1362 of the US Code – to make it clear that attacks on private communications networks, not just government-run systems, are federal crimes.

“While existing statutes reach government-targeted attacks, a gap remains in protecting the vast array of privately owned but publicly essential networks,” the letter explains.

They also want the administration to support a new bill: the Stopping the Theft and Destruction of Broadband Act of 2025 (H.R. 2784). The bill would give federal authorities the power to prosecute people who steal from or damage private telecom facilities and impose penalties.

Backing this bill, they say, would show that the government is serious about protecting critical communications infrastructure – and about holding people accountable when they try to disrupt it.

The request comes as law enforcement continues to track and arrest suspects in infrastructure cases. Earlier this month, police in Buckeye, Arizona, arrested 38-year-old Jeremiah Ramage for allegedly stealing equipment from multiple cell tower sites and selling it on eBay. The stolen gear was reportedly worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

(Photo by JJ Ying)

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Tags: connectivity, internet, network, networks, telecoms