H.R. 2503 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Sep 2, 2025. Received Sep 3, 2025; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryRestricts foreign adversaries from buying undersea cable equipment
The bill directs the President and Department of Commerce to prevent foreign adversaries from getting items needed to build, fix, or run undersea cables—those cables that carry internet and communications across the ocean. The President would work with allied countries to keep these materials out of adversaries' hands, while Commerce would set export controls and develop a strategy to make this happen. The President would also report to Congress annually on progress.
How it affects you
This bill doesn't directly change much in your daily life, but it's designed to protect U.S. national security by keeping certain technologies away from foreign powers that could pose a threat. If you work in telecommunications, export, or manufacturing of cable-related equipment, your company might face new rules about where it can sell these items.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Mar 31, 2025)
Undersea Cable Control Act
This bill requires the President and the Department of Commerce to take certain actions to prevent foreign adversaries from acquiring items needed to support the construction, maintenance, or operation of undersea cable projects. For the purposes of this bill, a foreign adversary is any foreign government or nongovernment person (entity or individual) engaged in certain conduct that significantly and adversely affects U.S. national security.
Within one year of the bill's enactment, the President must seek to enter into agreements with allies and partners to prevent such items from being available to foreign adversaries.
Furthermore, Commerce must determine the appropriate level of export and transfer controls for such items under the Export Administration Regulations.
The bill also requires Commerce to develop a strategy to prevent such items from being available to foreign adversaries. The President must report annually to Congress on this strategy.
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. 2503
AN ACT
Undersea Cable Control Act
Sponsor: Rep. Thomas H. Kean (R-NJ-7) · Introduced Mar 31, 2025 · International Affairs · 3 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Sep 3, 2025: “Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.”