SEC. 2. ASSESSMENT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANS-AT-
LANTIC 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 Transpor-
tation 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 contig-
uous 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-At-
lantic submarine fiber optic cable described in sub-
section (a); 
(2) the lifespan of submarine fiber optic cables 
currently connecting the United States Virgin Is-
lands to the contiguous United States; 
(3) the current security of telecommunications 
between the contiguous United States and the 
United States Virgin Islands; 
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(4) the current reliability and security of tele-
communications 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 de-
scribed in subsection (a), and the associated geo-
political and economic advantages; 
(6) the potential digital sovereignty opportuni-
ties of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable 
described in subsection (a); 
(7) the value, cost, and feasibility of estab-
lishing a data center and high-security cloud services 
facility, with independent power generation, in the 
United States Virgin Islands for military and na-
tional security communications; and 
(8) any other related matters the Assistant Sec-
retary determines are appropriate. 
(c) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form without any des-
ignation relating to dissemination control, but may include 
a classified annex. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) ASSISTANT SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Assist-
ant 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 deter-
mination described under paragraphs (1) through 
(4) of section 2(c) of the Secure and Trusted Com-
munications Networks Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C. 
1601(c)). 
(3) TRUSTED.—The term ‘‘trusted’’ means, 
with respect to an entity, that the Assistant Sec-
retary has not determined that the entity is not 
trusted. 
Æ 
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