Spectrum is offering a $25,000 reward after someone intentionally cut fiber optic lines in northeast Charlotte, disrupting internet and communication services in a ‘criminal attack on critical infrastructure’ and potential act of terrorism.
The fiber lines were intentionally cut on Saturday, Aug. 1, near Washington Boulevard in northeast Charlotte, causing service interruptions for residents and businesses in the area.
Spectrum said its technical teams responded immediately and worked to restore service as quickly as possible. The company is now offering up to $25,000 for information leading to those responsible.
In a statement, Spectrum described the incident as a “criminal attack on critical infrastructure” and warned that similar attacks are becoming increasingly common across the telecommunications industry.
“These acts are not only a crime but threaten public safety,” the company said.
According to Spectrum, telecommunications providers recorded 18,327 criminal attacks on communications infrastructure nationwide in 2025, a 59% increase from the previous year. Those incidents affected approximately 11.8 million customers across the country.
The incident comes just one day after many Spectrum customers experienced a nationwide outage affecting the company’s TV app. That issue was resolved by Tuesday morning for most customers, although some users with XUMO streaming boxes continued experiencing service problems.
Spectrum is asking anyone with information about the fiber optic sabotage to call its confidential tip line at 833-404-TIPS (8477) or visit Spectrum reward’s website here.
