There is a "growing epidemic" of attacks on communications sites - and the response needs to include sharper federal penalties and more sophisticated preventive action from the industry, according to the newest commissioner to join the FCC.

Olivia Trusty, who was confirmed to the agency in June, called on telecom companies and broadcasters to fortify their sites with tamper-proof housings, cameras and alarms - and said the government must likewise step up the penalties for theft and vandalism. She made her remarks in a video presentation this month at the Telecom Industry Incident Management and Prosecutorial Collaboration Summit in California.

The past two years have seen a number of high-profile copper thefts in the United States, disabling Internet and television services and knocking broadcast stations off the air. For some radio stations, the result was tens of thousands of dollars' worth of damage.

Trusty noted that in some instances, the "911" emergency service was disrupted by similar attacks on telecom sites.

With the US Department of Homeland Security calling communications systems a top infrastructure sector, a bipartisan measure has been introduced in Congress to address these concerns. It is known as the Stopping the Theft and Destruction of Broadband Act of 2025 and was introduced by a Democrat and a Republican lawmaker with support from the industry.