Why AT&T is offering thousands to help stop copper thefts

Already 444 times this year, AT&T say copper thieves sliced through their lines in search of a quick buck.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The telecommunications giant says Georgia is the third worst state for copper thieves in the country, with thousands of pounds stolen in the past few years.

Copper thieves can take down a communications line in a matter of minutes, but AT&T says the damage they leave behind can take hours to repair and disrupt phone and internet service for homes, businesses and critical facilities.

“This is the aftermath of a copper theft,” Keith Hubbard, an AT&T construction network manager, said while showing Channel 2 the damage.

Hubbard said the theft itself can happen quickly.“Because they just gonna get out, they gonna take a saw, and they just cut it and let it fall,” Hubbard said.

The incentive is money. AT&T officials said copper can be worth up to about $6 a pound, giving thieves an opportunity to make a quick profit.

But the damage can extend beyond the copper they are trying to steal.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Teen killed by police near Krispy Kreme identified as honor roll student
• Family says jealousy, not vapes, got two Gwinnett brothers killed
• Atlanta grocery store offers affordable food, but needs help to stay open

Todd Zeiler, vice president of construction and engineering for AT&T, said copper and fiber lines can run alongside each other. Thieves trying to quickly cut down copper may also sever fiber lines, which can serve far more customers and facilities.

“As a bad actor, you see $6 a pound. You don’t know, you don’t care, you don’t understand the difference,” Zeiler said.

Crews can then spend hours repairing the damage while customers are left without service.

“Unfortunately, this is happening almost nightly in the metro Atlanta area,” Zeiler said.

The problem extends beyond Georgia.

The industry group USTelecom reported more than 18,000 theft and vandalism incidents involving communications networks across the United States in 2025.

The group said those incidents affected nearly 12 million customers.

Jenaro Hare, lead investigator for AT&T Global Security in Georgia, said disruptions can extend well beyond individual homes.

“Let’s think about the bigger picture: hospitals, airports, communication centers,” Hare said. “I mean, it goes across the board.”

AT&T said it is now offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that helps authorities identify and prosecute people responsible for copper thefts.

“It’s going to take us all as a whole to come together and work together to try to help reduce and mitigate some of the copper thefts in this area,” Hare said.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]