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Consumers in Shaw in North Calgary now have internet, TV or phone service following an attempted copper theft early Monday morning that led to widespread disruption.
Technicians remained at the site of a severed wire for much of Monday, racing to repair service as temporarily as possible. Shaw estimated that “half or more of the affected customers” had repaired their cable as of 8:15 p. m. But as of 10:30 p. m. p. , the painting was underway. By 11:15 p. m. , everything was repaired.
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“The technicians decided that the damage to the fiber was more extensive and required more time to splice all the fiber,” Shaw said in the 10:30 p. m. update.
In an emailed statement, Shaw said the outage affected some consumers in North Calgary, adding parts of Mount Pleasant, Tuxedo Park and Crescent Heights.
Based on previous data provided via Shaw’s outage page, teams decided the outage was caused by a fiber cut and attempted copper theft, a factor that is fueling calls for greater deterrence in reaction to what is described as an unfolding challenge. in Canada.
“Repairing a broken fiber optic line can take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours,” the update reads.
Rogers and Shaw have noticed that outages due to vandalism have increased four- to five-fold since 2022, Rogers Shaw’s parent company said last year.
It also notes that outages caused by vandalism can take 3 to 4 times longer to fix than other types of outages, due to the extent of the damage and related repairs.
In an emailed statement, the Calgary Police Service said it responded to reports of copper cable thefts near 12th Street N. E. and 25 Avenue N. E. around 10 a. m. and are investigating the incident.
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Anyone with information is asked to call CPS at 403-266-1234 or anonymously report to Crime Stoppers.
Earlier this year, criminal charges were levied against a man and a woman following the theft of telecommunications cables that left more than 2,000 Calgarans without power or telephone.
“Criminals need to borrow copper from telecommunications infrastructure and sell it as scrap steel to make money,” said Eric Smith, senior vice president of the Canadian Telecommunications Association.
“We’ve noticed a huge increase (in thefts) over the last few years as the value of copper has gone up,” Smith said. “It’s causing millions of dollars in infrastructure damage across Canada. “
Smith said many of his members are seeing a significant increase in vandalism, the vast majority of which is akin to copper theft.
Beyond shutting down internet access, outages can also affect emergency services, hospitals, governments, and money services. “It’s a persistent and serious problem,” Smith said.
Ross Johnson, security representative for critical electrical infrastructure in Canada, said copper theft cases can be attributed to economic conditions, not just the value of copper itself.
“If the unemployment rate is at its peak and the economy is doing badly, then there will be tension in the place where copper is exposed to the public,” said Johnson, who is also founder of Bridgehead Security Consulting Inc.
When it comes to solving the challenge of stealing copper and other metals, Johnson called it “press on a grand scale. “
“You have to meet the challenge with all kinds of other it’s. “
In particular, he noted that electrical and telecommunications appliances can somehow be branded with a corporate brand, so recycling centers know where they come from.
“This would mean that if one of your marked pieces turns up at a recycler you don’t have a contract with, then by definition it’s most likely stolen. “
Communication with authorities also plays a role, he said, in ensuring that detainees are properly punished.
Smith echoed this sentiment, stating, “We urge the government to set out the consequences in the Penal Code. “
“Right now, normally, if someone is arrested, they’re charged with stealing less than $5,000, which is equivalent to stealing a bike,” Smith said.
The purpose of a stronger deterrent is to send a message to criminals that theft isn’t worth the risk, according to Smith. He also noted that much of the industry is investing in increased security for critical network facilities.
Johnson said: “It’s a factor of reliability and protection and, frankly, it’s expensive.
“You can borrow $10 worth of copper from a telecommunications or electrical facility and replace it well can cost tens of thousands of dollars. “
Earlier this year, Bell announced the installation of aerial alarms for its network, which provide real-time alerts in the event of infrastructure vandalism and copper theft.
— Con by The Canadian Press and Postmedia
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