Copper cable thefts leave AT&T customers in North Texas without phone service
NORTH TEXAS – AT&T reports North Texas customers are being left without phone service because of copper cable theft.
"Hundreds of folks can be taken out of service, and oftentimes, it can take days to restore that service," AT&T Vice President of External Affairs Mike Peterson said. "They don't have a connection to 911 or even their loved ones in the case of an emergency."
It's leaving customers in a very vulnerable position.
"The problem has been around for a while, but it's ramping up, driven in large part by the spike in the value or price of copper," Peterson said. He added that it's at a seven-year high.
"The market value is so expensive," Dallas Mayor Pro-Tem Tennell Atkins said. "It's almost $5 a pound. You see the lines cut, and they pull this copper out, and sometimes they think they're cutting the copper, and it's fiber, and then that cuts everything down."
Atkins said the city recently met with AT&T. They're working to raise awareness. AT&T announced it will be offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
"We've got to educate the people," Atkins said.
AT&T reports that thieves often target the same areas repeatedly.
"A lot of them masquerade as AT&T or other telecom companies, and it's important for the public to know if they're driving unmarked vehicles, they are not with AT&T," Peterson said.
If you have information, you can call local law enforcement and AT&T Global Security & Investigations at (800) 807-4205. The reward is valid through November of next year.