This Act mandates the development of a U.S. strategy to eliminate foreign adversaries' access to critical components required for undersea cable infrastructure through export controls and international agreements.
Thomas Kean
Representative
NJ-7
The Undersea Cable Control Act mandates the development of a comprehensive U.S. strategy to prevent foreign adversaries from acquiring the necessary components for undersea cable projects. This strategy requires identifying critical parts, coordinating export controls with allies, and establishing international agreements to block access. The President must report on this strategy to Congress annually for three years, while the Commerce Secretary reviews and strengthens export controls on relevant technologies.
Undersea Cable Control Act Mandates New Strategy to Cut Off Critical Tech to Foreign Adversaries
The newly proposed Undersea Cable Control Act is all about protecting the digital plumbing of the internet. Specifically, it requires the President, working through the Commerce and State Departments, to create a strategy to block “foreign adversaries” from accessing the critical components needed to build, maintain, or operate undersea telecommunications cables. Think of it as putting a new, high-tech lock on the global supply cabinet for the fiber optic lines that carry 99% of international data. This strategy must be delivered to Congress within 180 days and updated annually for three years.
The Digital Lifeline: Why We Care About Cables
Undersea cables are the backbone of the modern economy. Every time you stream a movie, trade stocks, or send an email across the ocean, you’re using one. This bill recognizes that who controls these cables, and the supply chain that builds them, has massive strategic leverage. The strategy mandated here requires the government to pinpoint exactly which items—from specialized fiber to repeater technology—are essential for cable projects. It also demands a review of current U.S. export controls to see if they are strict enough to prevent these items from ending up in the hands of nations designated as foreign adversaries (SEC. 2).
Trade Talks and Technical Standards
This isn't just about what the U.S. controls; it’s about international coordination. The bill requires the President to identify key allies who control a chunk of the global cable component market and then, within one year, try to negotiate agreements with them to unify export controls. Crucially, these agreements are supposed to include penalty clauses for non-compliance, which could lead to some tricky diplomatic conversations down the road. For the companies that manufacture or export these specialized components—think high-tech manufacturing firms—this means the landscape for selling their goods is about to get a lot more complicated, potentially requiring new licenses or facing stricter regulations (SEC. 2).
The Commerce Department Gets Busy
The Secretary of Commerce is given the specific job of reviewing the export rules for these identified cable items. They must determine if these technologies should be added to the Commerce Control List—a move that would require exporters to get a license before sending them overseas. When making this call, the Secretary has to look closely at who the final user is and what the technology will be used for. The goal is to make sure that the U.S. and its allies control the flow of this tech to adversaries, protecting our national security interests. While this is great for security, it introduces a layer of regulatory uncertainty for businesses in this niche sector, who will have to wait and see exactly which items get pulled under tighter control (SEC. 2).