Which statute protects critical infrastructure by prohibiting willful damage to power or communications lines?

• A. 18 U.S.C. 1029
• B. 18 U.S.C. 1362
• C. 18 U.S.C. 2511
• D. 18 U.S.C. 2703

Answer: (B)

This item is about protecting critical infrastructure by outlawing willful damage to physical utility lines. The law that covers this is 18 U.S.C. 1362, which makes it a federal crime to willfully injure, destroy, or obstruct any line, wire, system, or equipment of a public utility used to transmit electric power or communications. In short, it targets deliberate harm to power and communications infrastructure, preventing outages and service disruptions that affect the public.

The other statutes describe different offenses: one deals with computer fraud and unauthorized access to computers, another with interception of wire or electronic communications, and another with access to stored communications. None of these specifically criminalize willful damage to power or communications lines, which is why 18 U.S.C. 1362 is the correct reference.