[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1737 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1737


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 24, 2025

    Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


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

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

SECTION 1. ASSESSMENT OF TRANS-ATLANTIC SUBMARINE FIBER OPTIC CABLE.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the 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 
a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable connecting the contiguous 
United States, the United States Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria, to 
enhance the national security of the United States.
    (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall include 
an assessment of--
            (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 readiness of telecommunications infrastructure in 
        the United States Virgin Islands to support a trans-Atlantic 
        submarine fiber optic cable described in subsection (a);
            (5) the potential for engagement with trusted entities in 
        the deployment of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable 
        described in subsection (a), and the associated geopolitical 
        and economic advantages;
            (6) the potential connectivity opportunities to maximize 
        investments in the United States economy through the use 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 communications of the United States Africa Command, 
        communications of the United States Special Operations Command, 
        and national security communications;
            (8) the state of submarine fiber optic cables connected to 
        United States telecommunications infrastructure; and
            (9) any other related matters the Secretary determines are 
        appropriate.
    (c) No Mandatory Data Collection.--The Secretary may not require 
any entity to provide data for purposes of preparing the report 
required by subsection (a).
    (d) 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.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Not trusted.--The term ``not trusted'' means, with 
        respect to an entity, that the entity is determined by the 
        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)).
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce 
        for Communications and Information.
            (3) Trusted.--The term ``trusted'' means, with respect to 
        an entity, that the Secretary has not determined that the 
        entity is not trusted.

            Passed the House of Representatives June 23, 2025.

            Attest:

                                             KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

                                                                 Clerk.