Representatives from Comcast, Mason Public Utility District and the Recycled Materials Association told the Senate Law and Justice Committee that theft and vandalism of metal and telecommunications infrastructure have reached a crisis level and in some cases create public-safety risks.

Daniel Grissom, senior regional operations security manager for Comcast in the Pacific Northwest, told senators that cutting aerial cables and other infrastructure can do more than damage property. "When you think about an individual that will climb a tree, climb a pole, and cut down, say, a fiber optic cable, that can take out anywhere from 10 to tens of thousands of customers," Grissom said, and "We've had instances where 9-1-1 systems were disabled." He described coordinated targeting of overhead lines by thieves who cannot distinguish providers and will cut multiple providers' lines in the same area.

Justin Holzgrove, representing Mason Public Utility District, described two incidents he said illustrate the wider consequences: a Thanksgiving outage that left more than 1,000 homes without power for 12 hours after thieves broke into secured power vaults and stole copper, and a separate case where a custom power cable stolen from an island site later turned up at a scrap yard. "Cutting copper grounds in power vaults or on poles creates serious electrical hazards," Holzgrove said, adding that outages increase repair and system costs and can raise rates for customers.

From the recycling industry, Sean Daoud, a PNW Metal Recycling owner and representative of the Recycled Materials Association, called for better coordination among dealers, utilities and law enforcement and said the industry already collects identification and records for purchases but is willing to consider additional measures to deter abuse. Association representatives and lobbyists said tag-and-identify best practices, imprinting utility names on cable and tighter scrap-yard audits can help, but they warned that fiber-only damage (which contains little recyclable metal) will not be solved by regulating metal yards alone.

Panelists recommended several practical steps for lawmakers to consider: mandatory scrap-yard audits and stronger enforcement of licensing, heavier fines dedicated to a state fund for theft prevention and prosecution, enhanced penalties for thefts that impair critical infrastructure with mandatory restitution, and stricter vendor payment and ID systems (for example, delayed payments, electronic payment only, and verified proof of ownership).

Discussion vs. direction vs. decision: The testimony was informational. Committee members noted ongoing workgroups to draft legislative responses; no bill was introduced in the hearing. Presenters committed to provide written recommendations and to participate in work group discussions.

Ending: Committee staff said they would circulate witness materials and lobbyist contacts; senators signaled interest in drafting statutory adjustments ahead of the next session.