We’ve heard of thieves stealing the copper wiring from telephone and cable networks before. But according to AT&T, the threat has become so severe that the company logged over 10,000 cases of copper theft last year.
AT&T’s security investigator, Rahdeese Alcutt, recently sounded the alarm about the problem, which can disrupt the carrier’s telecommunication networks, especially its old-school landlines. “As a company, AT&T experienced more than 10,400 copper theft incidents, with a weekly average of 200 incidents reported nationwide at the end of 2025. Losses for 2025 exceeded $82 million,” he wrote in a blog post.
The problem is particularly bad in California, where AT&T has been required to maintain its traditional copper-based landlines to ensure residents living in rural and remote areas remain connected. “In California alone, we experienced more than 7,300 copper theft incidents in 2025, with losses exceeding $54 million,” Alcutt said.
The problem has become “systemic” to the point that AT&T is struggling to keep up. “We can’t repair damage as fast as it happens,” he says. “Some damage goes undetected for weeks or months.
“Many of these instances of copper theft do not appear to be one-off, opportunistic acts. We are seeing clear evidence of organized crime, such as the use of heavy machinery and coordinated thefts on the same lines at the same time,” he adds.
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The surge in thefts comes as the price of copper rose sharply last year. AT&T has also previously warned that criminals will target fiber-optic cabling, confusing it for copper wiring. In response, Alcutt is asking the public to contact AT&T Global Security at 1-888-871-2622 or local law enforcement if they see suspicious activity around telecom equipment. AT&T has even been offering rewards of $10,000 and $20,000 for information about the culprits.
Over the longer term, AT&T has been working to retire its copper networks across the US by the end of 2029, except in California. Last month, the Federal Communications Commission also adopted new rules meant to help companies speed up their transition away from copper networks. “5% of households in the United States have a legacy copper phone service, with many also having an active mobile service,” the commission says.
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But the nonprofit Public Knowledge fears the FCC’s order risks disconnecting “millions of elderly people or people with disabilities” who still rely on traditional landlines, including for their medical equipment.
“To accelerate the transition, the Order relaxes or eliminates multiple safeguards put in place by previous administrations to ensure that no American or small business with phone service loses access to 911 or other critical voice services,” the group says. “For example, phone companies seeking to replace rural copper lines with new products will no longer need to provide engineering tests to prove the alternatives work as well as existing lines.”
However, the FCC says, “When a company decides to completely discontinue a service, it must notify its customers and get FCC permission before turning off the service. When a telephone company simply stops offering an older voice service to new customers, existing customers will continue to receive that service until they no longer want it.”
About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
