LOGAN, W.Va. — About 700 people lost phone and internet service this week in Logan and Mingo counties due to six cable thefts, according to a spokesman with Frontier Communications.
“They are stealing cable that will put 50-100 customers out at a time and we’re just working diligently to repair that once we find it and address it,” said Andy Malinoski, communications manager for Frontier in West Virginia.
Much of the service was restored as of Thursday afternoon. Malinoski said people are risking their lives by climbing these cable lines.
“The people that are doing this — they sometimes don’t realize how dangerous it is to them. They’re high voltage power cables up there that you don’t want to mess with,” he said.
Frontier is currently working with State Police to identify the suspects. It’s unknown who keeps stealing cables, but Malinoski said he has a good idea why it keeps happening.
“Unfortunately, they take the copper and sell it just for the money that it’s worth,” he said.
The company is encouraging the public to call Frontier’s tip line at 1-800-590-6605 with any information about the issue.
“We completely understand why (customers) would be frustrated,” Malinoski said. “Just know that our technicians are out in the field, sometimes at night out in the weather, trying to repair it as soon as possible.”