S. 5617Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Combating Critical Infrastructure Vandalism Act of 2026

A bill to amend section 1362 of title 18, United States Code, to address vandalism of copper, fiber, and coaxial cables used to provide telecommunications and information services.

AI-Generated Summary

Updated October 7, 2026 at 4:22 AM UTC

The Combating Critical Infrastructure Vandalism Act of 2026 updates federal criminal law to specifically target the willful damage, destruction, or theft of copper, fiber, and coaxial cables that provide telecommunications and information services. It makes such acts a federal crime when the cables are used in interstate or foreign commerce, and sets penalties of up to ten years in prison and/or fines. The law excludes equipment located on a customer's property (customer premises equipment) from these new provisions.

Key Provisions

Makes it unlawful to willfully or maliciously injure, destroy, or steal, or attempt or conspire to do so, any copper, fiber, or coaxial cable used for telecom or information services in interstate or foreign commerce.
Specifies that the new offenses apply only to infrastructure, not to customer premises equipment (equipment physically located on a customer's property).
Defines “customer premises equipment” as equipment owned, rented, or leased by the customer and located on the customer’s property.
Sets the penalty for violations at a fine, imprisonment of up to ten years, or both.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Judiciary Committee

September 30, 2026

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

September 30, 2026

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Judiciary Committee

September 30, 2026

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

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Introduced in SenateIssued September 30, 2026

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 5617

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 30, 2026

Mr. Schmitt (for himself and Mr. Padilla) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To amend section 1362 of title 18, United States Code, to address vandalism of copper, fiber, and coaxial cables used to provide telecommunications and information services.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Combating Critical Infrastructure Vandalism Act of 2026.

Communication lines, stations, or systems

Section 1362 of title 18, United States Code, is amended—

(1)

by striking Whoever willfully or maliciously injures or destroys and inserting the following:

(a)

In general

It shall be unlawful to—

(1)

willfully or maliciously injure or destroy

;

(2)

in subsection (a), as so designated—

(A)

in paragraph (1)—

(i)

by striking interferes and inserting interfere;

(ii)

by striking obstructs, hinders, or delays and inserting obstruct, hinder, or delay;

(iii)

by striking attempts or conspires and inserting attempt or conspire; and

(iv)

by striking , shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both. and inserting the following: “; or

(2)

willfully or maliciously injure, destroy, or steal, or attempt or conspire to injure, destroy, or steal, any copper, fiber, or coaxial cable used to provide telecommunications services (as defined in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153)) or information services (as defined in that section) that is used in or affects interstate or foreign commerce, whether constructed or in the process of construction.

; and

(B)

in paragraph (2), as so designated, by striking In the case of any works and inserting the following:

(b)

Limitations

(1)

Certain lawful concerted activities

In the case of any works

;

(3)

in subsection (b), as so designated, by adding at the end the following:

(2)

Customer premises equipment

(A)

In general

Subsection (a)(2) shall not apply to customer premises equipment.

(B)

Customer premises equipment defined

In this section, the term customer premises equipment means equipment physically located on a customer’s property that is owned, rented, or leased by the customer.

; and

(4)

by adding at the end the following:

(c)

Penalty

Any person in violation of subsection (a) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.