Following last week's report from AT&T that it had copper stolen from its network in the Atlanta area, telcos such as Embarq and Windstream have reported similar thefts in other markets. Until recently, such thefts were not so openly discussed by the embarrassed telcos involved, but now the victims are fighting back by increasing public awareness and announcing rewards for information leading to arrests and convictions of the copper thieves.
Such thefts may be one of the costs of doing business, but telcos trying very hard to control their expenses and losses are not about to ignore the problem.
For more:
- Here's a story about Embarq's recent Las Vegas theft and reward in The Register
- another about catching copper crooks in Kansas City from The Kansas City Star
- and a third story about Windstream's experience in in Muskogee, Okla., from the Muskogee Phoenix