AT&T Recovers Stolen Copper Cable in Hayward as It Seeks to Retire Legacy Network Over Customer Opposition

AT&T workers recovered a truck full of stolen copper cable from a metal recycler in an industrial yard in Hayward, California. The cable had been cut from telephone poles, according to Todd Swensen of AT&T's construction and engineering division. m.

When fiber lines were severed at a railroad crossing in Hayward. Crews arriving later found missing phone and internet cables, a pair of bolt cutters, stripped wire fragments, and freshly charred burn pits along a trail by the tracks. An abandoned tent with a small pile of wires sat nearby.

Two people pushing a large plastic laundry bin were observed about 100 yards from the scene. One stood near a burn pit when the crew arrived. AT&T staff called police, who questioned the pair on the embankment but released them for lack of probable cause, witnesses, or stolen property.

Last year AT&T recorded more than 10,400 copper wire thefts nationwide, about 200 per week, including 7,000 in California. Only about 3 percent of its customers still rely on copper connections. The value of copper has roughly doubled in the past year.

Copper cables were first used more than 180 years ago by Samuel Morse. Thieves often cut fiber lines alongside copper because the cables look similar, disrupting service to homes, hospitals, airports, and schools. AT&T has locked manhole lids with extra bolts, installed sensors, hired private security in some areas, and offered a $20,000 bounty for information leading to arrests.

Susan Santana, president of AT&T West, said the measures address a problem that is not easy to solve. Rommel Maghonay, a splicing manager, said the railroad crossing repair was his fifth or sixth suspected theft-related cut in three days. On a typical day he pulls two or three splicers from regular work, and the job was expected to take four to five hours.

AT&T filed suit against California in late May seeking permission to discontinue legacy copper service, consistent with Federal Communications Commission authorization. The company has pledged $19 billion to modernize its network through 2030. California's attorney general said his office is reviewing the complaint.

Consumer, farm, and small-business groups oppose ending copper service, arguing some communities lack reliable alternatives, especially during emergencies. Hayward police declined to release case records because the investigation remains open.