New Act Puts FCC in Charge of Undersea Cables, Mandates 24-Hour Cyber Incident Reporting, and Hikes Sabotage Penalties

The new SECURE American Telecommunications Act is essentially a massive security upgrade for the internet’s plumbing—the high-capacity cables that run under the ocean and across our land borders. It rips up decades-old rules and hands the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) full control over licensing these critical connections, a job previously shared with the President. The goal is clear: lock down our digital infrastructure against foreign threats and speed up construction where it counts.

The FCC Takes the Wheel: New Rules for the Digital Highway

Under this Act, if you want to lay a new submarine cable or even a major cross-border land cable, you now report directly to the FCC for approval (SEC. 2, SEC. 3). This is a big centralization of power. More importantly, the FCC can no longer approve any cable that connects directly to a place controlled by a defined “foreign adversary” or uses communication equipment already flagged as a security risk on the government’s prohibited list (SEC. 2). This means the U.S. is formally drawing a digital line in the sand, ensuring that new, critical infrastructure isn't built using compromised gear or routed through hostile territories.

Security Is Not Optional: The 24-Hour Clock

For any company that gets a license, the security requirements are about to get real. The FCC must set strict new minimum physical and cybersecurity standards for both the undersea lines and the landing stations where they come ashore (SEC. 2). If a cyber incident happens—and we’re talking about anything from unauthorized access to performance degradation—the clock starts ticking: the operator must report the details to both the FCC and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within 24 hours of discovery (SEC. 2). For the average person, this means that if a major cable is hit, the government should know about it fast, theoretically leading to quicker fixes and better coordinated defense against future attacks. This rapid reporting requirement is a major operational shift for cable operators.

Cutting the Red Tape, Cutting Local Control

One section aims to make it easier to actually build and fix these cables. The Secretary of the Army must issue a general permit for cable construction and repair nationwide, which is designed to streamline the process (SEC. 4). Here’s the catch for local governments: once the FCC approves a cable project, state and local governments are barred from regulating its placement or construction based on environmental impact (SEC. 4). While this speeds up deployment—a boon for internet access—it effectively removes local environmental oversight for federally approved cable routes, even in sensitive areas like national marine sanctuaries. This trade-off balances infrastructure speed against local control over environmental decisions.

Sabotage Just Got Expensive

If you thought messing with a cable was a minor offense, think again. The bill dramatically increases the penalties for damaging submarine cables. Previously, intentional injury to a cable might result in a misdemeanor charge with a maximum of two years in jail. Under the new rules, that penalty jumps to a possible 25 years in prison (SEC. 9). This massive increase signals that the government views the physical security of these cables—which carry trillions of dollars in global commerce and communication daily—as a matter of national security, not just property damage.

What This Means for You

If you work remotely, run a small business, or just rely on streaming services, this bill aims to make the underlying internet faster and more resilient, especially against state-sponsored attacks. The security requirements might mean slightly higher operating costs for cable companies, which could eventually trickle down, but the improved security and quicker permitting process could also lead to faster deployment of new, high-capacity lines. The biggest practical challenge will be watching how the FCC defines those new security standards and whether they can meet the strict 540-day deadline for application decisions—a deadline that, if missed, results in the license being automatically granted (SEC. 2).