Four US telecom trade associations have written a letter asking for urgent action to be taken to safeguard the nation's critical network infrastructure.

In the letter, which is addressed to Kristi Noem, Secretary, US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Internet & Television Association, ACA Connects, NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, and USTelecom, have urged for tougher measures and action to prevent further attacks.

The letter comes at a time when telcos across the US have suffered from several attacks against critical infrastructure.

"We write today to highlight a significant and rapidly growing threat demanding urgent, coordinated federal, state, and local action: widespread, organized critical infrastructure attacks targeting our nation’s communications networks," said the four associations.

Such attacks often include theft of telecoms equipment, such as copper, or deliberately sabotaging fiber networks.

The industry has had enough of these attacks, with former federal communications commissioner Michael O'Rielly calling for tougher punishments for people who steal or attack telecom infrastructure earlier this year.

More recently, Charter Communications called one such attack on its network infrastructure an "act of domestic terrorism."

Laying bare the impact of these attacks, the four associations pointed to their joint 2025 report, 'Protecting the Nation’s Critical Communications Infrastructure from Theft & Vandalism,' which reports there were at least 5,770 reported incidents of targeted theft and vandalism against communications infrastructure reported nationwide in the last seven months of 2024.

According to the report, these attacks disrupted Internet services for more than 1.5 million Americans and caused millions of dollars in damage.

National security threat

The telco industry wants tougher measures to ensure these numbers don't increase.

Telecommunications is designated by the Department of Homeland Security as one of 16 critical infrastructure sectors, with the department stating that the interdependencies that exist among these designated sectors mean that an attack on communications inflicts cascading damage across the economy, public safety, and national security.

"Critical infrastructure attacks pose a significant national security threat. These attacks demonstrate increasing sophistication, coordination, and intent to disrupt services with potential economic and societal consequences," said the groups.

The attacks have often disabled 911 call centers, interrupted first responder networks, airport operations, and severed communications links at military bases, in some cases, notes the four associations.

Because of these reasons, the four bodies want the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to push for tougher sentences for such crimes.

The groups have asked for the DHS and the FBI to lobby Congress to "amend Title 18, Section 1362 of the US. Code, so that willful acts against private communications networks—not just systems controlled or operated by the government—are explicitly criminalized at the federal level."

"While existing statutes reach government-targeted attacks, a gap remains in protecting the vast array of privately owned but publicly essential networks. By extending Title 18’s destruction-of-communications provisions to apply to private infrastructure, Congress would close this loophole, ensuring that all perpetrators face the full weight of the law."

On top of this, the telco associations have also asked the Administration to support H.R. 2784, Stopping the Theft and Destruction of Broadband Act of 2025.

This bill reaffirms federal jurisdiction and "imposes penalties for destruction and theft of private communications network facilities."

"Administration support of such legislation would underscore the government’s commitment to safeguarding the physical security of critical assets and to prosecuting those who seek to sow economic and social upheaval by attacking the networks upon which so many consumers and businesses rely," added the telco associations.

Earlier this month, a man was arrested in Buckeye, Arizona, suspected of dozens of thefts from cell tower sites across the state.

Buckeye police named the man as 38-year old, Jeremiah Ramage. Ramage has been accused of stealing the communications equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and selling it online via eBay.