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Thousands of homes and businesses across Kansas City were left without internet over the weekend after an act of vandalism damaged part of Spectrum's fiber optic network.

The outage, which began on Saturday, has since been resolved, but the company is now offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible, KMBC said.

According to a Spectrum spokesperson, two separate fiber cuts disrupted services in the area. One of the cuts was the result of a criminal act of vandalism, while the other occurred on a third-party network that typically provides backup service.

With both lines down, many customers were left without internet access until repairs were completed.

"These attacks don't just hurt our company," said a Spectrum representative. "They impact families, businesses, and even emergency services that rely on our network."

Spectrum crews worked overnight to repair the damage and restore internet service to affected areas.

The company confirmed Monday morning that the issue has been resolved and customers are back online.

Spectrum Urges Action as Fiber Vandalism Cases Rise

Unfortunately, this is not the first time such an incident has occurred. Spectrum says that vandalism and theft have become a growing problem in the telecommunications industry, driven in part by the rising value of precious metals found in network equipment.

According to Fox4, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) reported that between June and December 2024, there were over 5,770 cases of vandalism or theft targeting communications equipment across the US.

These attacks affected more than 1.5 million customers during that time.

To fight back against this rising trend, the NCTA is calling for stronger state and local laws, increased law enforcement support, tighter scrap metal regulations, and more security from telecom companies.

Spectrum echoed this call, saying that criminal damage to fiber optic lines is more than just a technical issue—it's a public safety risk.

The company is urging anyone with information about the Kansas City vandalism to contact its tip line at (833) 404-8477. The $25,000 reward remains in place for tips that lead to an arrest.