Fiber optic cable cut in North Austin neighborhood; Spectrum offering up to $5K reward

AUSTIN, Texas - Spectrum is offering a reward for information about an act of vandalism that caused an hours-long outage in a North Austin neighborhood.

What we know:

Spectrum says that the vandalism happened on Feb. 26 in the 2300 block of Gracy Farms Drive.

The suspect(s) cut Spectrum's fiber optic cable lines. This caused a multi-hour outage for residents in the area.

Spectrum says investigators believe the suspect(s) were looking for copper, but the company's fiber lines don't contain any.

What they're saying:

"Vandalism is part of a larger issue seen across the industry, not just by Spectrum, and is due to the increase in the price of precious metals. These acts of vandalism are not only a crime, but also affect our customers, our businesses and emergency services," Spectrum said in an email release.

Craig Civale, a spokesperson with Spectrum, spoke with FOX 7 Austin's Tan Radford about the vandalism on March 3.

"In fact, this is an example of one of our lines. You can see all the different types of threads right here. These are fiber optic lines. There's no copper in these. And what actually takes some time is that, you know, the restoration teams that go out there, they have to really delicately go about and try to connect these fiber lines back together with the other part of the damaged line," said Civale.

"The damage that's committed is quite significant," Civale says.

What you can do:

Spectrum is working with the Austin Police Department and offering up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

Anyone with information on this incident can contact Spectrum at 833-404-TIPS (8477) or reach out to local law enforcement.

Similar cases

Big picture view:

There have been several similar cases in the Austin area over the last few years with vandals on the hunt for copper, causing outages. 

The North Austin area has also been targeted before.

"Last year, the internet and television association, they reported that there were nearly 4000 fiber cuts, either vandalism or theft, that were done across the country in essentially a three-month window of time. So that's nearly 1300 a month more than that. And so it's really a significant issue that the entire industry is seeing," said Civale.

Spectrum says these acts of vandalism are not only a crime, but also affect customers, businesses and emergency services. This is why the company is offering a reward.

"Whether it's the neighborhood there in North Austin, whether it's the school system or the hospital in your neighborhood that relies on connectivity, the police station, the emergency services, I mean, this is no longer a privilege. This is something that we rely on to operate in our daily lives. And so, the vandals that are doing this need to stop, and they need to be impacted. They need to be caught," said Civale.