DiasporaLink Act

Subjects: Science, Technology, Communications


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3385 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3385

 To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and 
Information to submit to Congress a report containing an assessment of 
    the value, cost, and feasibility of developing a trans-Atlantic 
 submarine fiber optic cable connecting the contiguous United States, 
  the United States Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 16, 2023

 Ms. Plaskett introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and 
Information to submit to Congress a report containing an assessment of 
    the value, cost, and feasibility of developing a trans-Atlantic 
 submarine fiber optic cable connecting the contiguous United States, 
  the United States Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``DiasporaLink Act''.

SEC. 2. ASSESSMENT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANS-ATLANTIC SUBMARINE FIBER 
              OPTIC CABLE.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Assistant Secretary, in consultation with the heads of 
other Federal departments and agencies as necessary, shall submit to 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate a report containing an assessment of the value, cost, and 
feasibility of developing a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable 
connecting the contiguous United States, the United States Virgin 
Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria.
    (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall 
include--
            (1) the digital security, national security, and economic 
        opportunities associated with a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber 
        optic cable described in subsection (a);
            (2) the lifespan of submarine fiber optic cables currently 
        connecting the United States Virgin Islands to the contiguous 
        United States;
            (3) the current security of telecommunications between the 
        contiguous United States and the United States Virgin Islands;
            (4) the current reliability and security of 
        telecommunications infrastructure in the United States Virgin 
        Islands;
            (5) the potential for engagement with trusted entities in 
        the development by the United States of a trans-Atlantic 
        submarine fiber optic cable described in subsection (a), and 
        the associated geopolitical and economic advantages;
            (6) the potential digital sovereignty opportunities of a 
        trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable described in 
        subsection (a);
            (7) the value, cost, and feasibility of establishing a data 
        center and high-security cloud services facility, with 
        independent power generation, in the United States Virgin 
        Islands for military and national security communications; and
            (8) any other related matters the Assistant Secretary 
        determines are appropriate.
    (c) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be submitted 
in unclassified form without any designation relating to dissemination 
control, but may include a classified annex.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
        means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications 
        and Information.
            (2) Not trusted.--The term ``not trusted'' means, with 
        respect to an entity, that the entity is determined by the 
        Assistant Secretary to pose an unacceptable risk to the 
        national security of the United States, or the security and 
        safety of United States persons, based solely on one or more 
        determination described under paragraphs (1) through (4) of 
        section 2(c) of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks 
        Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C. 1601(c)).
            (3) Trusted.--The term ``trusted'' means, with respect to 
        an entity, that the Assistant Secretary has not determined that 
        the entity is not trusted.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
</pre></body></html>