On August 19, the Windstream company Kinetic announced that it is working with local law enforcement and other agencies to bring cable vandals to justice following an incident of vandalism that occurred earlier this month in Hazard, Kentucky.
According to preliminary assessments, the vandalism occurred between August 8 and August 9 and affected fiber infrastructure. Investigators determined that multiple cuts were made to fiber optic cable and postulated the vandals were searching for copper.
Susan Schraibman, Kinetic’s president of regional operations in Kentucky, reported that the vandalism disrupted communication and posed safety risks to the community by limiting access to emergency services and other operations.
“Our priority is to ensure the safety and connectivity of our customers,” said Schraibman in a press release. “We work closely with law enforcement across the Commonwealth on these crimes and take immediate steps to restore services when they occur.”
Stephanie Bell, Kinetic’s vice president of state government affairs, said in the same press release, “We want thieves to know that cable theft is directly impacting your neighbors, your families, your schools, your hospitals, and the very people you love. Cable theft has a negative economic effect on the community and increases costs for everyone.”
This year alone, Kinetic has suffered more than 66 copper cable thefts throughout the region.
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