Thousands of Spectrum customers in San Bernardino lost service Sunday morning, Sept. 20, after what the company and authorities describe as deliberate cuts to fiber-optic lines that feed the city, affecting internet, phone and potentially other communications services.
Service disruption and restoration
Spectrum said technicians worked through the day to repair the damage, splicing more than 1,100 individual fiber strands. Each fiber is about the diameter of a human hair, the company said. By roughly 5 p.m. Sunday, about half of the affected customers had service restored, with full restoration expected by early Sunday night, according to Dennis Johnson, senior director for West, Northwest and Southwest communications at Spectrum.
The outage interrupted daily routines for residents and businesses across San Bernardino who depend on broadband for work, school, medical devices and emergency communications. Spectrum has reported the incident to the San Bernardino Police Department, and investigators are treating the damage as vandalism.
Scope of the attacks and industry context
Spectrum characterized the incident as the latest in a series of targeted attacks on telecommunications infrastructure across the region. Similar fiber vandalism affected other Southern California communities in recent months, including Harbor City in August and episodes reported in Whittier, Northridge and Porter Ranch within the past year.
The company highlighted a broader nationwide trend that industry officials say is worsening. In a statement, Spectrum noted:
“Criminal attacks on communications infrastructure are a growing issue affecting the entire telecommunications industry, not just Spectrum. These acts are not only a crime but threaten public safety.”
Spectrum also cited industry figures showing 18,327 attacks in 2025, a 59% increase from 2024, which the company said affected more than 11.8 million customers nationwide.
- Incident date: Sept. 20 (Sunday)
- Fibers spliced: more than 1,100
- Partial restoration: about half of customers by 5 p.m.
- Expected full restoration: early Sunday night
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Fibers spliced in San Bernardino | 1,100+ |
| Industry attacks (2025) | 18,327 |
| Increase since 2024 | 59% |
| Customers affected nationwide (2025) | 11.8 million |
| Reward offered by Spectrum | $25,000 |
Investigation and community response
Spectrum filed a report with local law enforcement and is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest. The company asked anyone with information to contact its tip line at 833-404-TIPS (8477) or to reach out to local police.
San Bernardino residents and businesses affected by the outage were urged to check for updates from Spectrum and to contact local authorities if they saw suspicious activity near telecommunications equipment or utility corridors. The interruption underscored vulnerabilities in communications infrastructure that public safety officials and industry representatives say can have cascading effects during emergencies.
Similar incidents in Southern California have led to temporary outages for customers of other carriers, including Verizon, which reported vandalism-related outages in the region in August. Spectrum officials emphasized that while some criminals seek copper from telecommunications sites, fiber-optic cables do not contain copper, and the motive for recent attacks remains under investigation.
Local officials and industry representatives have not released additional details about suspects or arrests as of Sunday night. Spectrum said technicians continued to work into the evening to complete splicing and restore normal service to all affected customers.
