H.R. 1737 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Jun 23, 2025. Received Jun 24, 2025; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryStudy a submarine internet cable to Africa
This bill asks the Commerce Department to look into building an underwater fiber optic cable that would connect the mainland United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria. The report would examine whether the cable is feasible to build, what it would cost, and whether it would be secure. It would also consider whether to set up a data center and cloud services facility in the U.S. Virgin Islands for national security communications.
How it affects you
This bill doesn't change anything directly for most Americans right now. It just orders a study so Congress can understand what a trans-Atlantic cable would take to build and operate. The results could eventually matter for internet speeds and data security, but that would depend on decisions Congress makes later.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Feb 27, 2025)
This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to submit a report to Congress that assesses the feasibility, value, cost, and security implications of a submarine fiber optic cable to connect the contiguous United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria. The report must include, among other topics, an assessment of the potential establishment of a data center and high-security cloud services facility in the U.S. Virgin Islands for certain national security communications.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 1737
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.
Sponsor: Del. Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI-At Large) · Introduced Feb 27, 2025 · Science, Technology, Communications · 4 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jun 24, 2025: “Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.”
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 4 official versions.