America’s critical communications infrastructure is facing an alarming rise in vandalism and theft, leaving emergency services offline, hospitals struggling, and communities vulnerable. As part of the industry’s response, STRIKE (Strategic Threat Response & Infrastructure Knowledge Exchange) is a new initiative designed to treat these attacks as the national security crisis they are.
An escalating threat
Attacks on broadband networks are at the very core of America’s digital backbone. Disruptions caused by deliberate vandalism are not just inconveniences — they are serious threats to public safety and economic stability.
From June to December 2024 alone, there were 5,770 intentional incidents of theft and vandalism — more than 800 per month — affecting over 1.5 million customers. These are not random acts. They are deliberate assaults that disrupt 911 systems, banking systems, law enforcement, and even U.S. military bases.
Industry leaders unite
STRIKE is co-led by SCTE®, a subsidiary of CableLabs®, and NCTA-The Internet & Television Association. It is the first executive-level coalition designed to coordinate action against criminal attacks on broadband infrastructure.
- The new initiative brings together senior leaders from Comcast, Charter, Cox, GCI, Mediacom, and other internet service providers.
- Comcast’s Elad Nafshi will serve as chair, and Charter’s Tom Monaghan will serve as vice chair.
The inaugural STRIKE strategy session will be held later this month at TechExpo25, SCTE’s annual event, in Washington, D.C. Leaders will use this platform to set the coalition’s strategic vision and coordinate immediate action.
A coordinated national response
STRIKE’s mission is to strengthen America’s defenses by:
- Spotlighting broadband damage as a top-tier national security threat.
- Facilitating intelligence sharing to identify and stop attacks faster.
- Aligning policy advocacy, technical standards, and operational protocols into a unified strategy.
- Establishing clear and consistent communication with government stakeholders.
STRIKE builds on work in progress
Work has been ongoing to help curb attacks on critical communication infrastructure.
- In July, NCTA, along with other broadband providers, sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI calling for urgent federal action to:
- Treat these infrastructure attacks as domestic terrorism when warranted.
- Increase intelligence sharing with providers.
- Deploy more resources to regions experiencing high levels of vandalism.
- Two telecom industry summits, bringing together key stakeholders to collaborate on mitigation strategies, have been held over the past year. These important events reinforce the urgency of treating broadband security as a national priority. A third summit is planned for October.
- In conjunction with both summits, the Protecting the Nation’s Critical Communications Infrastructure from Theft & Vandalism report was released. The report is continuously updated with the newest data on infrastructure attacks as part of each event.
- The industry has asked Congress to pass the Stopping the Theft and Destruction of Broadband Act of 2025 (H.R. 2784), critical legislation that would ensure that attacks on private networks carry the same federal penalties as attacks on government systems.
