Data / Federal rules / 2025-03718
Review of Submarine Cable Landing License Rules and Procedures To Assess Evolving National Security, Law Enforcement, Foreign Policy, and Trade Policy Risks; Schedule of Application Fees
The Federal Communications Commission published this proposed rule in the Federal Register on March 13, 2025. Comments closed on April 14, 2025.
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What the agency says
The Federal Communications Commission ("FCC" or "Commission") takes another important step to protect the Nation's submarine cable infrastructure from threats in an evolving national security and law enforcement landscape by undertaking the first major comprehensive review of the Commission's submarine cable rules since 2001. This review seeks to develop forward-looking rules to better protect submarine cables, identify and mitigate harms affecting national security and law enforcement, and facilitate the deployment of submarine cables and capacity to the market. Among other things, the Commission proposes to adopt a three-year periodic reporting requirement for submarine cable landing licenses; in the alternative, the Commission seeks comment on shortening the current 25-year submarine cable license term or adopting a shorter license term in combination with periodic reporting. The Commission also proposes or seeks comment on codifying the Commission's legal jurisdiction and other legal requirements in its rules to provide regulatory certainty to submarine cable owners and operators. Additionally, the Commission proposes and seeks comment on appropriate applicant and application requirements to account for the evolution of technologies and facilities and changes in the national security landscape over the last two decades and to ensure the Commission has targeted and granular information regarding the ownership, control, use of a submarine cable system, and other things, which are critical to the Commission's review to assess potential national security risks and other important public interest factors. Further, the Commission seeks comment on improving the quality of the circuit capacity data and facilitating the sharing of such information with other Federal agencies. Through these proposals, the Commission seeks to ensure that the Commission is exercising appropriate oversight of submarine cables to safeguard U.S. communications networks.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2025-03718
- Type
- Proposed rule
- Action
- Proposed rule
- Agency
- Federal Communications Commission
- Published
- March 13, 2025
- Comments due
- April 14, 2025
- Dates
- Comments are due on or before April 14, 2025; and reply comments are due on or before May 12, 2025. Written comments on the Paperwork Reduction Act proposed information collection requirements must be submitted by the public, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and other interested parties on or before May 12, 2025.
- Docket
- OI Docket No. 24-523, MD Docket No. 24-524; FCC 24-119; FR ID 282229
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 47 CFR 0; 47 CFR 1; 47 CFR 43
- Topics
- Administrative practice and procedure; Authority delegations (Government agencies); Communications; Communications common carriers; Communications equipment; Freedom of information; Internet; Organization and functions (Government agencies); Penalties; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements; Security measures; Telecommunications
- Pages
- 68
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Everything from the Federal Communications Commission · Rules on administrative practice and procedure · Rules on authority delegations (government agencies) · Rules on communications · Published in March 2025
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