[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3249 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3249
To enhance United States Government strategic coordination of the
security, installation, maintenance, and repair of international subsea
fiber-optic cables.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 20, 2025
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Mr. Barrasso) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To enhance United States Government strategic coordination of the
security, installation, maintenance, and repair of international subsea
fiber-optic cables.
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 ``Strategic Subsea Cables Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
TITLE I--INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION AND ENGAGEMENT ON SUBSEA FIBER-
OPTIC CABLES
Sec. 101. Findings.
Sec. 102. Sense of Congress.
Sec. 103. Enhancing United States Government engagement at the
International Cable Protection Committee to
safeguard United States interests.
Sec. 104. Imposition of sanctions with respect to damage to subsea
fiber-optic cables.
Sec. 105. Report on subsea fiber-optic cable activities by the People's
Republic of China and the Russian
Federation.
Sec. 106. Engaging foreign partners to strengthen subsea fiber-optic
cable security.
TITLE II--DEPARTMENT OF STATE SUBSEA FIBER-OPTIC EXPERTISE
Sec. 201. Expanding subsea fiber-optic cable expertise at the
Department of State.
TITLE III--SUBSEA FIBER-OPTIC CABLE COORDINATION, CONSTRUCTION, AND
REPAIR
Sec. 301. Improving United States Government coordination of subsea
fiber-optic cables.
Sec. 302. Strengthening information sharing between United States
Government and private sector actors on
subsea fiber-optic cables.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given the
term in section 3502 of title 44, United States Code.
(2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(3) Appropriate federal agencies.--The term ``appropriate
Federal agencies'' means the following:
(A) The Department of Commerce.
(B) The Department of Defense.
(C) The Department of Homeland Security.
(D) The Office of the Director of National
Intelligence.
(E) The Department of State.
(F) The Federal Communications Commission.
(G) The Department of the Treasury.
(H) The Department of the Judiciary.
(I) Any additional Federal agencies, as determined
by the President.
(4) Interagency committee.--The term ``interagency
committee'' means the entity established under section 301(b)
of this Act.
(5) Non-federal entity.--The term ``non-Federal entity''
means any nongovernmental entity that is an individual,
organization, or business involved in the operation,
maintenance, repair, or construction of subsea fiber-optic
cables, including subsea cable owners.
(6) Subsea fiber-optic cable threat.--The term ``subsea
fiber-optic cable threat'' means an action or likely future
action, in particular, actions taken with malicious intent, on
or through a subsea fiber-optic cable network that may result
in an unauthorized effort to adversely impact the privacy,
efficacy, security, or integrity of a subsea fiber-optic cable
network.
TITLE I--INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION AND ENGAGEMENT ON SUBSEA FIBER-
OPTIC CABLES
SEC. 101. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Following subsea fiber-optic cable cuts in the Baltic
Sea in December 2024, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) established the Critical Undersea Infrastructure Network
to conduct information and threat intelligence sharing among
private and public sector actors to protect subsea cables.
(2) On February 21, 2025, the European Union published an
EU Action Plan on Cable Security to include the development and
deployment of an Integrated Surveillance Mechanism for
Submarine cables work to establish a dedicated regional hub in
the Baltic Sea to serve as a test bed of the integrated
surveillance approach.
(3) The Association of Southeast Asian States (ASEAN)
published guidelines for Strengthening Resilience and Repair of
Submarine Cables and most recently announced plans to ``build a
secure, diverse and resilient submarine cable network'' and
``to facilitate the expeditious deployment, repair,
maintenance, removal, and protection of submarine cables,
between ASEAN Member States''.
(4) On July 1, 2025, the Quad, represented by the United
States, India, Japan, and Australia, met to reaffirm its
commitment to the Quad Partnership on Cable Connectivity and
Resilience. In the meeting, the Quad underscored the need for
digital infrastructure collaboration, organizing a subsea
cables forum to be hosted by the United States and India and
encouraging regulatory harmonization between Quad partners.
Through this initiative, the Quad seeks to defend and promote
resilient, secure, and transparent digital infrastructure
across the Indo-Pacific region.
SEC. 102. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) subsea fiber-optic cables constitute the backbone of
the global internet and therefore should be treated as a global
public good;
(2) the United States Government has an important role to
play in advancing the United States interests in international
bodies that oversee subsea fiber-optic cable protection,
promote network resilience and redundancy, and advance
regulations in support of these goals;
(3) the United States Government should play a more active
role in the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) in
order to advance the United States national security and
economic interests;
(4) the United States should lead efforts to promote the
deployment of resilient subsea fiber-optic cable networks,
enhance situational awareness, strengthen preparedness, and
formalize collective responses among allies and partners
through enhanced information sharing and coordination; and
(5) while the United States and allied foreign governments
have a role to play in the protection of subsea fiber-optic
cables, cable owners and other associated private sector
stakeholders carry significant responsibility in safeguarding
subsea cables.
SEC. 103. ENHANCING UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT AT THE
INTERNATIONAL CABLE PROTECTION COMMITTEE TO SAFEGUARD
UNITED STATES INTERESTS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in coordination with the
interagency committee, shall seek to increase United States Government
engagement in the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) to
advance United States national security and economic interests.
(b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 5 years, the
Secretary of State shall submit a report to the appropriate
congressional committees that includes the following:
(1) A description of how increased the United States
Government engagement within the ICPC could support United
States national security objectives as it relates to the
protection of subsea fiber-optic cables.
(2) A description of key objectives for promoting and
protecting United States national security interests within the
ICPC.
(3) A description of how People's Republic of China
entities leverage their engagement within the ICPC to further
their strategic interests.
(4) A description of how encouraging other countries and
regional bodies to join the ICPC can better ensure coordinated,
consistent global subsea fiber-optic cable policies.
SEC. 104. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO DAMAGE TO SUBSEA
FIBER-OPTIC CABLES.
(a) In General.--The President, in coordination with the Secretary
of State and the Secretary of the Treasury, shall impose sanctions
described in subsection (c) with respect to any foreign person that the
President determines, on or after the date of the enactment of this
Act, is responsible for or complicit in damaging subsea fiber-optic
cables in a manner that undermines the national security interests of
the United States.
(b) Report Required.--Not later than 15 days after imposing
sanctions with respect to a foreign person under subsection (a), the
President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees, the
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, and the
Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives, a
report that includes a detailed justification for the imposition of the
sanctions.
(c) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions described in this
subsection are the following:
(1) Blocking of property.--The President shall exercise all
of the powers granted by the International Emergency Economic
Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent necessary to
block and prohibit all transactions in all property and
interests in property of a foreign person described in
subsection (a), if such property and interests in property are
in the United States, come within the United States, or are or
come within the possession or control of a United States
person.
(2) Ineligibility for visas, admission, or parole.--
(A) Visas, admission, or parole.--An alien
described in subsection (a) shall be--
(i) inadmissible to the United States;
(ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other
documentation to enter the United States; and
(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted
or paroled into the United States or to receive
any other benefit under the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
(B) Current visas revoked.--
(i) In general.--The visa or other entry
documentation of an alien described in
subsection (a) shall be revoked, regardless of
when such visa or other entry documentation is
or was issued.
(ii) Immediate effect.--A revocation under
clause (i) shall--
(I) take effect immediately; and
(II) automatically cancel any other
valid visa or entry documentation that
is in the possession of the alien.
(d) Implementation; Penalties.--
(1) Implementation.--The President may exercise all
authorities provided under sections 203 and 205 of the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and
1704) to carry out this section.
(2) Penalties.--A person that violates, attempts to
violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of this
section or any regulation, license, or order issued to carry
out this section shall be subject to the penalties set forth in
subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same
extent as a person that commits an unlawful act described in
subsection (a) of that section.
(e) Exceptions.--
(1) Exception to comply with united nations headquarters
agreement and law enforcement activities.--Sanctions under this
section shall not apply with respect to the admission or parole
of an alien to the United States if admitting or paroling the
alien is necessary--
(A) to permit the United States to comply with the
Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the United
Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and
entered into force November 21, 1947, between the
United Nations and the United States, or other
applicable international obligations of the United
States; or
(B) to carry out or assist authorized law
enforcement activity in the United States.
(2) Exception to comply with intelligence activities.--
Sanctions under this section shall not apply to any activity
subject to the reporting requirements under title V of the
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.) or any
authorized intelligence activities of the United States.
(3) Exception relating to importation of goods.--
(A) In general.--A requirement to block and
prohibit all transactions in all property and interests
in property under this section shall not include the
authority or requirement to impose sanctions on the
importation of goods.
(B) Good defined.--In this paragraph, the term
``good'' means any article, natural or manmade
substance, material, supply or manufactured product,
including inspection and test equipment, and excluding
technical data.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Admission; admitted; alien.--The terms ``admission'',
``admitted'', and ``alien'' have the meanings given those terms
in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1101).
(2) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means an
individual or entity that is not a United States person.
(3) United states person.--The term ``United States
person'' means--
(A) any United States citizen or an alien lawfully
admitted for permanent residence to the United States;
(B) an entity organized under the laws of the
United States or of any jurisdiction within the United
States, including any foreign branch of such an entity;
or
(C) any person in the United States.
SEC. 105. REPORT ON SUBSEA FIBER-OPTIC CABLE ACTIVITIES BY THE PEOPLE'S
REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.
(a) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 5 years, the
Secretary of State, in coordination with the heads of other relevant
Federal agencies, shall submit a report to the appropriate
congressional committees that includes the following:
(1) A description, with respect to the applicable reporting
period, of People's Republic of China and Russian subsea fiber-
optic cable manufacturing, installation, and maintenance
capabilities.
(2) A description of any ongoing People's Republic of China
and Russian efforts to produce vessels capable of severing or
damaging subsea fiber-optic cables at sea depths of 4,000
meters or greater.
(3) A list of instances during the previous calendar year
in which the United States, or allies and partners of the
United States, documented anomalous behavior from vessels,
either flagged, crewed, or operated by the People's Republic of
China or Russia, around subsea fiber-optic cable networks,
including--
(A) any official United States Government response
to counter the anomalous behavior; and
(B) any coordinated diplomatic action with allies
and partners.
(b) Classification.--The report required under subsection (a) shall
be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.
SEC. 106. ENGAGING FOREIGN PARTNERS TO STRENGTHEN SUBSEA FIBER-OPTIC
CABLE SECURITY.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) as international subsea fiber-optic cable networks
expand, there are increasing challenges to the proper
maintenance, repair, and protection of international subsea
fiber-optic cables that have the potential to undermine United
States and foreign partner national security interests;
(2) the United States is uniquely positioned to provide
technical, material, and other forms of support to
international partners to enhance the resilience of
international subsea fiber-optic cables; and
(3) the United States Government should enhance its
diplomatic efforts to work with foreign governments to improve
efforts to quickly and effectively maintain, repair, and
protect international subsea fiber-optic cables.
(b) Commitment of Personnel and Resources.--The Secretary of State
shall devote sufficient personnel and resources towards engaging with
foreign countries to improve security and reduce barriers to the
maintenance and repair of subsea fiber-optic cables.
(c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the next 5 years,
the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a report that outlines efforts by the United States
Government in the prior calendar year to work with international allies
and partners to strengthen the security of and reduce barriers to the
maintenance, repair, and protection of international subsea fiber-optic
cable networks, including--
(1) a list of current foreign policies or laws that create
barriers to United States-led efforts to maintain, repair, and
protect international subsea fiber-optic cable networks; and
(2) progress made in the previous calendar year as a result
of United States engagement with allies and partners.
TITLE II--DEPARTMENT OF STATE SUBSEA FIBER-OPTIC EXPERTISE
SEC. 201. EXPANDING SUBSEA FIBER-OPTIC CABLE EXPERTISE AT THE
DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall assign not fewer than
two full-time equivalent individuals, to be located in the Bureau for
Cyberspace and Digital Policy, in order to support the Department of
State's interagency engagement on matters related to subsea cables,
including--
(1) protection and resilience;
(2) coordination with United States allies and partners;
and
(3) United States engagement in international bodies that
cover subsea cables.
(b) Assignment.--The Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Policy may
not dual-hat currently employed personnel in meeting the minimum hiring
requirement outlined in subsection (a).
(c) Notification.--Not later than 15 days after fulfilling the
hiring requirement in subsection (a), the Secretary of State shall
notify the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(d) International Cooperation on Subsea Cables.--Not later than 90
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report
on how the United States Government plans to prioritize diplomatic
engagement within relevant international bodies to spur increased
information-sharing between allied and partner governments and relevant
private sector companies on subsea fiber-optic cables.
TITLE III--SUBSEA FIBER-OPTIC CABLE COORDINATION, CONSTRUCTION, AND
REPAIR
SEC. 301. IMPROVING UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT COORDINATION OF SUBSEA
FIBER-OPTIC CABLES.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) According to a December 2024 Department of Homeland
Security white paper, ``There currently exists no forum in
which the full scope of the [subsea] cable industry can
effectively collaborate with the U.S. government to identify
and address shared challenges.''.
(2) United States Federal Government responsibilities for
the protection of subsea fiber-optic cables, damage reporting,
information and intelligence sharing, and emergency response
are overseen by various government actors through a multitude
of mechanisms spanning several Federal departments and
agencies.
(3) In order for the subsea fiber-optic cable industry to
align with United States economic and security interests, the
United States Government must provide the industry a clearer
concept of operations, assessed risks to cable supply chain and
infrastructure, and defined lines of effort in cases of
emergency.
(b) Establishment.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the President shall establish an interagency
committee (referred to in this Act as the ``interagency committee'')
comprised of the heads of the appropriate Federal agencies, to lead
United States Government efforts to--
(1) protect and improve the resilience of subsea fiber-
optic cable networks;
(2) facilitate subsea fiber-optic cable permitting; and
(3) address other matters related to subsea fiber-optic
cables deemed appropriate and necessary by the President.
(c) Coordination.--The President shall direct the interagency
committee to conduct an overview of the United States Federal
Government's operational authorities for subsea fiber-optic cable
security and resilience. The overview shall include--
(1) an interagency concept of operations for partnering
with non-Federal entities, including subsea fiber-optic cable
owners and operators, to secure and repair subsea fiber-optic
cable systems in a variety of crisis scenarios; and
(2) an interagency review and action plan to streamline
subsea fiber-optic cable permitting processes in order to
promote United States international leadership in cable
connectivity and deployments and risk-based prioritization and
standardization of additional security and resilience
assessments.
(d) Analysis of Subsea Fiber-Optic Cable Cuts and Outages.--
(1) In general.--The President shall direct the heads of
the relevant Federal agencies to develop strategies to
coordinate closely within the interagency process and with
subsea fiber-optic cable industry stakeholders to review subsea
fiber-optic cable cuts and outages, including by leveraging
analysis from industry-wide data, to--
(A) identify trends;
(B) refine attributions, particularly in cases
where subsea fiber-optic cables have been intentionally
damaged by malicious actors;
(C) identify high-risk geographic areas for subsea
fiber-optic cable construction; and
(D) inform future risk mitigation efforts to reduce
damage to subsea fiber-optic cable systems.
(2) Strategy elements.--The strategies required under
paragraph (1) shall include--
(A) resourcing requirements;
(B) coordination with United States allies and
partners; and
(C) the necessary technical expertise to make
attributions for intentional subsea fiber-optic cable
cuts by malicious actors.
(e) Report.--Not later than 30 days after establishing the required
interagency committee under subsection (b), the President shall submit
to Congress a report that includes the following elements:
(1) Any resources required to sufficiently staff the
interagency committee and United States Federal agencies
overseeing the objectives outlined in subsection (b).
(2) A detailed plan for how the interagency committee will
advance the objectives outlined in subsection (b).
SEC. 302. STRENGTHENING INFORMATION SHARING BETWEEN UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR ACTORS ON SUBSEA FIBER-
OPTIC CABLES.
(a) Public-Private Sector Information Sharing.--Consistent with the
necessary protections of classified information, the sourcing of
relevant intelligence material, and privacy and civil liberties, all
appropriate agencies shall, with the approval of the interagency
committee, issue procedures to establish and promote--
(1) the timely sharing of classified subsea fiber-optic
cable threats and any indications of potential threats held by
members of the interagency committee with non-Federal entities
that possess the necessary security clearances;
(2) the timely sharing between the interagency committee
and non-Federal entities of subsea fiber-optic cable threats,
information relating to indications of potential threats, or
authorized uses under this Act, in the possession of the
interagency committee that may be declassified and shared at an
unclassified level;
(3) the timely sharing between the interagency committee
and non-Federal entities of unclassified, including controlled
unclassified, subsea fiber-optic cable threats and indications
of potential threats held by members of the interagency
committee or non-Federal entities; and
(4) the timely sharing between the interagency committee
and non-Federal entities, when and if appropriate, of
information relating to indications of potential subsea fiber-
optic cable threats or authorized uses under this title, held
by the interagency committee or non-Federal entities about
subsea fiber-optic cable threats, in order to prevent breaches
to the security, integrity, or efficacy of the subsea fiber-
optic cable network and to mitigate any other potential adverse
effects from such subsea fiber-optic cable threats.
(b) Development of Procedures.--The procedures developed under
subsection (b) shall--
(1) ensure the interagency committee has and maintains the
capacity to identify and inform subsea fiber-optic cable
threats and indications of potential subsea fiber-optic cable
threats in real time to the appropriate Federal agencies or
non-Federal entities consistent with the protection of
classified information;
(2) incorporate, whenever possible, existing processes,
roles, and responsibilities of members of the interagency
committee and non-Federal entities for information sharing,
including subsea fiber-optic cable-specific information sharing
and analysis entities; and
(3) require members of the interagency committee and other
appropriate Federal agencies which are sharing subsea fiber-
optic cable threat indicators or defensive measures to employ
any applicable security controls to defend against unauthorized
access to or acquisition of such information.
(c) Submittal to Congress.--Not later than 60 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence, in
consultation with the members of the interagency committee, shall
submit to Congress the procedures required under subsection (b).
<all>