Senate Judiciary committee hears bill to expand Kansas 'critical infrastructure' definition to include telecom lines and equipment

The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on House Bill 2061, which would expand the state's definition of “critical infrastructure facility” to explicitly include above- and below-ground telecommunications lines, cables, antennas, towers, small cell facilities and associated equipment, a reviser told the committee.

The measure would amend KSA 21-58-18, the statute that defines the crimes of trespassing on and criminal damage to a critical infrastructure facility, by widening the list of examples of covered facilities without changing the statutory elements or penalties, the committee reviser said.

Supporters including Charter Communications told the committee the change is intended to help prosecutors treat intentional damage to broadband infrastructure as damage to critical infrastructure rather than ordinary property crimes. Dayton Murti, senior manager of government affairs for Charter Communications (Spectrum), said the company has about 118,000 customers in 25 Kansas communities, employs about 850 Kansans, invested roughly $37,000,000 last year to expand infrastructure and connected about 3,000 homes and small businesses. “We support HB 2061, because it specifically classifies our cables and wires as critical infrastructure,” Murti said. He told senators his company has…