Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Natural Resources, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
This bill strengthens security and oversight of submarine and cross-border telecommunications cables that connect the United States to other countries. It transfers cable licensing authority from the President to the Federal Communications Commission and prohibits licenses for cables connecting to countries designated as U.S. foreign adversaries or using equipment on security ban lists. The bill requires cable operators to report cybersecurity incidents within 24 hours and comply with new federal security standards to be established within 180 days. It also streamlines permitting for cable construction, increases criminal penalties for cable damage (from 2 years to up to 25 years imprisonment), and directs the government to study establishing undersea cable protection zones and pursue international security agreements with allied nations including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The FCC must make licensing decisions within 540 days, with applications automatically approved if the deadline passes.
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