AT&T; is offering rewards of $10,000 to target thieves of its cable. We aren’t talking about stealing TV programming services.
We’re talking about copper.
Perhaps a sign of the state of the economy; perhaps more a reflection of higher commodity prices, theft of copper and other metals has skyrocketed in recent years. The theft of utility copper is a significant issue for carriers, beyond the loss of material and cost of repairs.
Theft of utility copper often results in service disruption to customers including access to emergency services. In some cases, even manhole covers have been targeted.
Toronto City Council recently looked at theft of materials from blue boxes. Tyler Hamilton wrote about the impact on Canadian carriers and utilities in The Star last April.
It seems to me that going after copper on live electric lines is high risk – mistakes are punishable by death.
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