Overview

• The proposal would bar Chinese-made components and services in submarine cables connecting to the U.S., applying a presumption of denial for license applications from firms on the FCC’s national security entity list and imposing stricter capacity leasing limits.
• The commission is seeking public input on additional cybersecurity and physical-security measures, with comments due before its scheduled August 7 vote on the final rules.
• The plan includes incentives for U.S.-based submarine cable repair and maintenance ships and aims to promote trusted technology abroad to accelerate AI infrastructure build-out.
• FCC Chair Brendan Carr cited past incidents—such as suspected cable damage by foreign vessels and reports of deep-sea cutting devices—as justification for fortifying undersea links against espionage and physical threats.
• Undersea cables carry roughly 99% of international internet traffic, underscoring their critical role in communications and finance and echoing previous U.S. actions to block Hong Kong connections and address Baltic Sea sabotage.