I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3479 
To improve the licensing and security of submarine and cross-border 
terrestrial telecommunications cables, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 19, 2025 
Mr. YAKYM introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Trans-
portation 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 com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To improve the licensing and security of submarine and 
cross-border terrestrial telecommunications cables, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Safeguarding Essential Cables through Undersea Risk 
Elimination American Telecommunications Act’’ or the 
‘‘SECURE American Telecommunications Act’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Submarine cable licensing. 
Sec. 3. Cross-border terrestrial telecommunications cable licensing. 
Sec. 4. Permit process and exemption from certain requirements. 
Sec. 5. Repair reports. 
Sec. 6. Protection zone study. 
Sec. 7. Incidents report. 
Sec. 8. International security agreement. 
Sec. 9. Penalties for injury to submarine cables. 
Sec. 10. International Cable Protection Committee membership. 
Sec. 11. Definitions. 
SEC. 2. SUBMARINE CABLE LICENSING. 
The Act of May 27, 1921 (Chapter 12; 42 Stat. 8; 
47 U.S.C. 34 et seq.), is amended— 
(1) in the first section— 
(A) by striking ‘‘President of the United 
States’’ and inserting ‘‘Federal Communica-
tions Commission’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘That any such cable now 
laid within the United States without a license 
granted by the President may continue to oper-
ate without such license for a period of ninety 
days from the date this Act takes effect: And 
provided further,’’; 
(2) in section 2— 
(A) by striking ‘‘President may withhold or 
revoke such license when he shall be’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Federal Communications Commission 
may withhold and the Federal Communications 
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‘‘SEC. 8. (a) A license for a submarine cable under 
this Act shall be issued to an individual or entity subject 
to the following conditions: 
‘‘(1) In the event of an incident that creates or 
is the consequence of a cybersecurity risk (as defined 
in section 11 of the Safeguarding Essential Cables 
through Undersea Risk Elimination American Tele-
communications Act) involving such submarine 
cable, such individual or entity shall submit to the 
Federal Communications Commission and the Cy-
bersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency a re-
port on the nature of such incident not later than 
24 hours after the date on which such individual or 
entity learns of such incident. 
‘‘(2) Such individual or entity shall follow the 
minimum physical security and cybersecurity stand-
ards established under subsection (b). 
‘‘(b) Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Federal Communications 
Commission shall promulgate regulations establishing 
minimum standards for the physical security and cyberse-
curity of submarine cables and the landing stations of 
such cables, including a standard for the minimum dis-
tance between submarine cables on the seabed. 
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‘‘(c) Not less frequently than every 2 years, the Fed-
eral Communications Commission shall review the regula-
tions promulgated under subsection (b) and update such 
regulations if necessary. 
‘‘(d) Upon receipt of a report under subsection (a)(1), 
the Federal Communications Commission shall provide no-
tice of such report to relevant entities, including cable op-
erators and data centers, as the Federal Communications 
Commission determines appropriate. 
‘‘(e) In promulgating and reviewing the regulations 
promulgated under subsections (b) and (c), the Federal 
Communications Commission shall consult with— 
‘‘(1) the Attorney General; 
‘‘(2) the Director of National Intelligence; 
‘‘(3) the Secretary of Defense; 
‘‘(4) the Secretary of Homeland Security; and 
‘‘(5) any other Federal entity that the Commis-
sion determines appropriate. 
‘‘SEC. 9. (a) The Federal Communications Commis-
sion shall make a final determination with respect to the 
issuance of a license under this Act not later than the date 
that is 540 days after the date on which an application 
for such license, filed in accordance with all applicable reg-
ulations, is received by the Federal Communications Com-
mission. 
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‘‘(b) If the Federal Communications Commission 
does not make a final determination with respect to the 
issuance of a license under this Act within the period re-
quired by subsection (a), such license shall be deemed 
granted on the day after the last day of such period.’’. 
SEC. 
3. 
CROSS-BORDER 
TERRESTRIAL 
TELECOMMUNI-
CATIONS CABLE LICENSING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—No person may construct, con-
nect, operate, or maintain in the United States a terres-
trial telecommunications cable directly connecting the 
United States with a foreign country unless a written li-
cense to construct, connect, operate, or maintain such 
cable has been issued by the Commission. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—A terrestrial telecommuni-
cations cable for which a license is required under sub-
section (a) shall be subject to the same requirements 
under the Act of May 27, 1921, as amended by this Act, 
as a submarine cable for which a submarine cable license 
is required, to the maximum extent practicable (as deter-
mined by the Commission). 
(c) RELATIONSHIP TO CERTAIN OTHER REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Executive Order 13867 (84 Fed. Reg. 15491; 
relating to issuance of permits with respect to facilities 
and land transportation crossings at the international 
boundaries of the United States) does not apply with re-
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spect to a terrestrial telecommunications cable for which 
a license is required under subsection (a). 
(d) APPLICATION PROCESS.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com-
mission shall promulgate regulations to establish a single 
application for— 
(1) a license under subsection (a); and 
(2) any other Federal authorization required 
with respect to a terrestrial telecommunications 
cable for which a license is required under sub-
section (a). 
(e) APPLICABILITY.—Subsections (a), (b), and (c) 
shall apply with respect to a terrestrial telecommuni-
cations cable that is constructed after the date on which 
the Commission promulgates regulations under subsection 
(d). 
SEC. 4. PERMIT PROCESS AND EXEMPTION FROM CERTAIN 
REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) PERMIT PROCESS.— 
(1) GENERAL
PERMIT.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of the Army (acting through the Chief of 
Engineers) shall issue a general permit on a nation-
wide basis under section 404(e) of the Federal 
Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1344(e)) for 
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the construction, repair, and maintenance of sub-
marine cables and landing stations of such cables. 
(2) REQUIREMENT.—The general permit de-
scribed in paragraph (1) shall incorporate the stand-
ard for the minimum distance between submarine 
cables on the seabed promulgated under section 8(b) 
of the Act of May 27, 1921, as amended by this Act. 
(b) FEDERAL AUTHORIZATION PROHIBITION.—Not-
withstanding any other provision of law, no Federal au-
thorization (other than a submarine cable license, a certifi-
cate required by section 214 of the Communications Act 
of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 214), or the general permit described 
in subsection (a)(1)) may be required with respect to the 
construction, repair, or maintenance of a submarine cable 
or a landing station of such a cable, including with respect 
to a submarine cable or a landing station of such a cable 
that runs or is proposed to run through a national marine 
sanctuary designated under the National Marine Sanc-
tuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.). 
(c) NEPA CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION.—The Com-
mission may not remove the construction of new sub-
marine cable systems from actions that are categorically 
excluded from environmental processing under section 
1.1306 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations. 
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(d) PREEMPTION OF STATE AND LOCAL AUTHOR-
ITY.—No State or local government or instrumentality 
thereof may regulate the placement, construction, modi-
fication, or repair of a submarine cable with respect to 
which the Commission has issued a submarine cable li-
cense, or a landing station of such a cable, on the basis 
of the environmental effects of such cable or landing sta-
tion. 
SEC. 5. REPAIR REPORTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—With respect to any individual or 
entity that repairs damage to a submarine cable, a landing 
station of such a cable, or a terrestrial telecommunications 
cable, such individual or entity shall, not later than 7 days 
after the date on which such repair is commenced, submit 
to the Commission through the Network Outage Reporting 
System of the Commission a report on the nature of such 
damage (which shall include information known with re-
spect to the cause of such damage). 
(b) INFORMATION SHARING.—Not later than 7 days 
after the date on which a report required by subsection 
(a) is received by the Commission, the Commission shall 
transmit such report— 
(1) to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Se-
curity Agency; and 
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(2) in the case of a report relating to a sub-
marine cable or a landing station of such a cable, to 
the Department of the Navy and the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration. 
(c) FORMAT.—The report required by subsection (a) 
may be submitted in classified form. 
SEC. 6. PROTECTION ZONE STUDY. 
(a) STUDY.—The Commission, the Secretary of the 
Army (acting through the Chief of Engineers), and the 
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration shall jointly conduct a study on the bene-
fits, costs, and feasibility of the establishment by the 
United States of submarine cable protection zones. 
(b) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the study under 
subsection (a), the Commission, the Secretary of the Army 
(acting through the Chief of Engineers), and the Adminis-
trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration shall consult with the Secretary of State on infor-
mation with respect to submarine cable protection zones 
established by countries other than the United States. 
(c) MATTERS FOR ANALYSIS.—The study conducted 
under subsection (a) shall include an analysis of— 
(1) the submarine environment of the United 
States; 
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(2) the commercial environment of the United 
States; 
(3) the regulatory environment of the United 
States; and 
(4) benefits, costs, and obstacles associated with 
the establishment by the United States of submarine 
cable protection zones. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 540 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Commission, the Sec-
retary of the Army (acting through the Chief of Engi-
neers), and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate a report containing the 
results of the study conducted under subsection (a). 
SEC. 7. INCIDENTS REPORT. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
Commission shall submit to the Permanent Select Com-
mittee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives and 
the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate a re-
port describing any incident that creates or is the con-
sequence of a cybersecurity risk that was caused by a for-
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eign country or a non-state actor during the preceding 
year and that targeted— 
(1) a submarine cable with respect to which the 
Commission has issued a submarine cable license; 
(2) a submarine cable of an ally (as determined 
by the Secretary of State) of the United States; or 
(3) a landing station of a cable described in 
paragraph (1) or (2). 
(b) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain 
a classified annex. 
SEC. 8. INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AGREEMENT. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall seek to enter 
into an agreement with the covered countries to establish 
a common set of minimum security standards with respect 
to submarine cables, the landing stations of such cables, 
and licenses to land and operate such cables. 
SEC. 9. PENALTIES FOR INJURY TO SUBMARINE CABLES. 
The Act of February 29, 1888 (Chapter 17; 25 Stat. 
41; 47 U.S.C. 21 et seq.), is amended— 
(1) in the first section, by striking ‘‘shall be 
guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, 
shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not ex-
ceeding two years, or to a fine not exceeding five 
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thousand dollars, or to both fine and imprisonment, 
at the discretion of the court’’ and inserting ‘‘shall 
be imprisoned for not more than 25 years or fined 
under title 18, United States Code, or both’’; and 
(2) in section 2, by striking ‘‘shall be guilty of 
a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be 
liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 
three months, or to a fine not exceeding five hun-
dred dollars, or to both fine and imprisonment, at 
the discretion of the court’’ and inserting ‘‘shall be 
imprisoned for not more than 1 year or fined under 
title 18, United States Code, or both’’. 
SEC. 10. INTERNATIONAL CABLE PROTECTION COMMITTEE 
MEMBERSHIP. 
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Commission shall take such actions 
as are necessary to become a member of the International 
Cable Protection Committee. 
SEC. 11. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Communications Commission. 
(2) COVERED COUNTRIES.—The term ‘‘covered 
countries’’ means the following: 
(A) Australia. 
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(B) Canada. 
(C) New Zealand. 
(D) The United Kingdom. 
(3) CYBERSECURITY RISK.—The term ‘‘cyberse-
curity risk’’— 
(A) means a threat to or vulnerability of 
information or an information system, including 
through— 
(i) unauthorized access to such infor-
mation or information system; 
(ii) unauthorized use of such informa-
tion or information system; 
(iii) unauthorized disclosure of such 
information or information with respect to 
such information system; 
(iv) unauthorized degradation of such 
information or information system; 
(v) unauthorized disruption of such 
information or information system; 
(vi) unauthorized modification of such 
information or information system; 
(vii) unauthorized destruction of such 
information or information system; and 
(viii) an act of terrorism; and 
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(B) does not include any action that solely 
involves a violation of a consumer term of serv-
ice or a consumer licensing agreement. 
(4) 
FEDERAL
AUTHORIZATION.—The 
term 
‘‘Federal authorization’’— 
(A) means any authorization required 
under Federal law with respect to a submarine 
cable or a terrestrial telecommunications cable, 
including any authorization with respect to the 
construction, repair, or maintenance of such a 
cable or a landing station of such a cable; and 
(B) includes any licenses, permits, special 
use authorizations, certifications, opinions, or 
other approvals as may be required under Fed-
eral law with respect to such a cable or a land-
ing station of such a cable. 
(5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean-
ing given such term in section 3 of the Communica-
tions Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153). 
(6) SUBMARINE
CABLE
LICENSE.—The term 
‘‘submarine cable license’’ means a license to land or 
operate a submarine cable required by the first sec-
tion of the Act of May 27, 1921 (Chapter 12; 42 
Stat. 8; 47 U.S.C. 34). 
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(7) SUBMARINE CABLE PROTECTION ZONE.— 
The term ‘‘submarine cable protection zone’’ means 
a maritime geographic zone in which marine activity 
may be restricted to protect a submarine cable from 
accidental or intentional damage. 
(8) 
TERRESTRIAL
TELECOMMUNICATIONS 
CABLE.—The term ‘‘terrestrial telecommunications 
cable’’ means any terrestrial cable used for a tele-
communications purpose, including any infrastruc-
ture associated with such cable. 
Æ 
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