A Spectrum spokesman confirmed to The Times that an attempt (unsuccessfully) burglary of Van Nuys’ copper theft in Van Nuys caused widespread internet disruption, affecting Sundays in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
“This morning, due to Van Nuys’ vandalism, our boundaries also affected our services in Los Angeles and other areas of Ventura,” spokesman Dennis Johnson said. In the latest news on the company’s progress in resuming services, Johnson said Sunday afternoon: “Technicians resumed services in Ventura this morning and continued to resume services in Los Angeles this afternoon.”
The Johnson incident attributes this incident to copper wire thieves – they look for copper in a place where there is no.
The company said one or more people cut off multiple fiber lines from the poles and were apparently climbing trees to enter. The lines were cut off sometime after midnight.
Users reported on social media that their internet was on Sunday and within hours before dawn all day – frustrated by the destruction that took place on Father’s Day.
On X, user @StrappyHeels wondered: “Since the power outages since 2am and without ETA, will customers get credit on their bills?”
Another obvious client @5cottfive expressed incredible on social media on Spectrum’s “Criminal Behavior of Criminal Behavior” on social media.
“There will never be any vandalism at all Ventura and Los Angeles County levels,” the user post said. “This is a serious interruption from Ventura, Oje, Simi, Valley, and obviously all the way to Anaheim.”
However, for some, interrupts are not universal or persistent. At 4:57 pm, @ladybugzz21 posted her internet work in the San Fernando Valley.
The company said that the resumption of work in certain areas continued until the evening.
The company had to make “thousands of” fiber joints to repair the lines, a process that was time-consuming even with the help of the summoned extra crew, the company statement said.
Spectrum said in a statement that the cut-off of wires has become “a problem affecting the entire telecom industry, not only the spectrum, but also due to the rising prices of precious metals. These vandalisms are not only crimes, but also impact our customers, local businesses, potential emergency services.”
The statement states: “The fiber lines of the spectrum do not include any copper.”
The company said it is working with the Los Angeles Police Department to offer up to $25,000 rewards for arrest information: “Anyone with information about this vandalism can contact Spectrum via (833) 404-TIPS or 8477, or contact local law enforcement.”
