Communications networks are essential to the economy — supporting businesses, emergency services, schools and everyday life. But a growing wave of theft and targeted incidents is disrupting that connectivity, cutting off service for millions of Americans and creating significant economic losses for communities. Data shows these attacks don’t just damage infrastructure, they impose real and far-reaching costs on consumers, businesses and the broader economy.
Up to $188M
Estimated societal costs from outages between June–December 2024
The true impact extends far beyond stolen materials. Outages ripple through communities, causing millions in economic losses. Stronger state laws, tougher penalties, and closer collaboration are key to defending the nation’s communications infrastructure.
53%
Of incidents concentrated between California and Texas
More than half of all reported incidents occurred in just two states — California and Texas — underscoring how heavily concentrated these attacks can be. This geographic clustering creates outsized economic impacts in key regions while also disrupting national connectivity, as incidents in major population and economic centers ripple across businesses, public services and supply chains.
9.5M
Customers impacted by outages
Between June 2024 and June 2025, attacks on communications infrastructure disrupted service for more than 9.5 million customers. These outages can leave households without internet or phone service while also interrupting operations for businesses, public safety agencies and critical facilities.
Source: Protecting the Nation’s Critical Communications Infrastructure from Theft & Vandalism report and The Real Costs of Communications Outages Due to Infrastructure Theft or Vandalism study
