Spectrum: Internet outage was 'act of domestic terrorism'

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Spectrum Fiber Line Cut in Van Nuys, California on June 15, 2025. / Charter Communications

LOS ANGELES - Charter Communications (Spectrum) has classified an attack on its Van Nuys network as an act of domestic terrorism due to the extensive damage and impact on critical services. 

What we know:

The June 15 attack severed 13 cables, including more than 2,600 individual fibers, belonging to Charter Communications. 

This disruption affected connectivity and redundancy for various critical services and customers.

The impacted services included a U.S. military base, emergency dispatch and 911 communication services, local fire and police departments, financial institutions, court buildings, healthcare facilities and hospitals, educational institutions, and cell towers providing mobile services. 

In total, over 50,000 residential customers and more than 500 business customers experienced outages for up to 30 hours, Charter Communications said.

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Charter Communications called a June 15 attack on its communications network in Van Nuys an act of domestic terrorism, "based on the nature of the fiber cuts, extent of damage and make-up of impacted customers."

What they're saying:

Chris Winfrey, president and CEO of Charter Communications, stated, "these criminal attacks on our country’s vital communications networks are intentional and cause outages that put lives at risk." 

He added, "this is a pervasive and persistent threat to american families and businesses across the country that cannot be tolerated, and such life-threatening events should be declared acts of domestic terrorism and prosecuted accordingly." 

Winfrey also called for "immediate attention from federal and state legislation classifying these attacks as a felony, dedicated engagement from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, and swift, aggressive prosecution of those criminals causing the perilous situation that results from these outages."

Los Angeles City Councilman John Lee commented, "the rise in deliberate attacks on critical communications infrastructure poses a significant threat to national security, with resulting outages impacting military bases and emergency services while imposing substantial financial burdens on taxpayers and local governments." 

He emphasized that "safeguarding our communications infrastructure is vital for creating safe, resilient communities, and we call on everyone to stay alert, take proactive measures, and swiftly report any incidents related to this widespread issue."

Big picture view:

The Van Nuys incident is considered the latest in an escalating trend of critical infrastructure attacks targeting telecommunications providers across the United States. 

Between June and December 2024, the collective industry reportedly experienced nearly 6,000 intentional incidents of critical communications infrastructure attacks. 

These attacks put access to life-saving public resources at risk for over 1.5 million American families and businesses due to criminal disruptions to connectivity.

What you can do:

In response to this growing threat, Spectrum is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information related to these criminal infrastructure attacks that leads to an arrest. 

Anyone with information can contact Spectrum at 833-404-TIPS (8477) or reach out to local law enforcement. 

Charter Communications intends to continue referring to these intentional attacks on critical infrastructure as domestic terrorism, seeking increased nationwide attention to the issue.