- People are stealing copper cables from operators, causing service disruption that can last for days
- Copper networks are expensive to maintain and are more difficult to repair than fiber
- Thieves want to get their hands on copper so they can sell it off to metal recyclers for fast cash
Telcos are getting tired of their legacy copper cables. It’s bad enough old copper is difficult to maintain, people want to steal it, too.
AT&T recently posted a $10,000 cash reward for information on copper cable thefts in the Austin, Texas area. Information includes details on the attempted sale or purchase of the stolen copper.
The operator is also experiencing copper theft in Dallas, where customers reported they have lost phone and internet services for days at a time.
“We have had many instances of theft affecting our customers’ service,” an AT&T spokesperson told Fierce. The illegal removal of copper cable “and related fiber vandalism” can impact voice and broadband services in an area as well as disrupt law enforcement and emergency services.
Windstream’s Kinetic brand is another provider plagued by copper thieves, particularly across eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, said Barry Bishop, SVP of field operations at Kinetic. He referred to that stretch of the country as the “copper theft corridor.”
According to a press release from July, Kinetic estimates more than 350 residential and small business customers in the Clay County, Kentucky area have lost service due to criminal activity. But thefts have been so widespread that it’s nearly impossible to determine exactly how many customers have been affected.
Customers may lose their phone or internet service for a few hours, “sometimes it can be days depending on where it’s at,” Bishop told Fierce.
“These criminals don’t necessarily know or care what they cut,” he said. “They may cut very large copper cables that can have hundreds if not thousands of people out. And then they can cut fiber optic cables that cut out entire communities.”
Indeed, it’s pretty common for people looking for copper to cut fiber lines by mistake, said a Lumen spokesperson. Charter told Fierce it’s facing similar problems with vandalism, “but since our network doesn’t contain copper, the copper thieves are cutting our fiber lines looking for copper that isn’t there.”
For Lumen’s part, it sees copper theft as a “serious threat to the critical infrastructure,” said the rep. “We’ve most recently seen concentrated activity in Oregon, Washington, California and Arizona.”
Cost of copper upkeep
As operators focus on their fiber deployments, maintaining copper lines as well as replacing the parts that get stolen is a hassle.
“Materials used in fiber optic cables are easier to source than materials used to maintain copper networks,” said the AT&T rep. “When copper cables are stolen, it takes longer and is more difficult to repair or replace than fiber, leading to longer service disruptions for our customers.”
Lumen also noted copper networks frequently use hardware and cables that are no longer in production or supported by manufacturers. As a result, “there is a high cost” to maintain those networks.
Both AT&T and Lumen want to push forward their copper retirement plans by ending carrier of last resort obligations in certain states. However, states have rejected the requests because there are consumers who still rely on copper for basic internet and phone access.
“We’ve been replacing copper with fiber whenever and wherever we can, and retiring copper facilities that are no longer needed,” said the Lumen spokesperson.
“Due to our large footprint, the cost to replace copper is very high as alternative material costs have skyrocketed,” said the Lumen rep.
As for Kinetic, the copper thefts divert “both financial resources and manpower resources” away from building fiber and over to restoring cut cables, Bishop said. The cost to repair cables ranges from “a few thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.”
“Every time we’re having to work on copper cables that these criminals are damaging…this is just days and hours we’re not out building more fiber,” he said.
Criminals chase copper gains
It comes as no surprise that the reason for these thefts boils down to cold, hard cash. Copper is currently priced at $4.48 per pound.
“Even a pretty good section of copper cable may be worth $10 by the time you’ve stolen it, you’ve cut it up, you’ve burnt the insulation off it and you’ve gone to a recycler,” Bishop said.
Copper is an in-demand resource for electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, electrical wiring and more, according to AT&T.
“Although copper is in short supply, it’s infinitely recyclable and can be sold to metal recyclers for cash,” said the AT&T spokesperson.
Law enforcement in Los Angeles recently recovered $46,000 worth of stolen copper and aluminum at a recycling center. The city has tried to crack down on thefts by creating a copper wire task force and, like operators, offering a cash reward for anyone who reports a crime related to the theft of metals from public infrastructure.
But it’s not all gain with no potential for pain. Those stealing copper cables are risking their lives, Bishop noted.
“Some of them have cut power wires and been electrocuted,” he concluded.
