Broadband is Critical Infrastructure

The Kansas legislature recently enacted HB 2061, which declared that broadband is critical infrastructure. Specifically, the new law says that it is a felony to trespass or damage aboveground and belowground lines, cables, and wires used for telecommunications or video services. When Governor Laura Kelly signed the bill, she said it was critical that all Kansans have access to reliable high-speed internet. Kansas joins Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee in classifying broadband networks as critical infrastructure, making it a crime to interfere with or damage telecommunications networks. This might seem like feel-good legislation sponsored by the telecom industry. However, the real goal is to make it easier for law enforcement to go after those who vandalize networks. The Kansas law hopefully makes it easier to penalize those caught in vandalism to networks. This law is part of a national strategy to make it easier for law enforcement to work with carriers to reduce vandalism. Raising crimes against networks to felonies means a higher priority to pursue those doing the damage, and just maybe, a little less desire to do the damage.