Improving United States Government coordination of subsea telecommunications infrastructure

(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 telecommunications infrastructure, 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 cable industry to align with United States economic and security interests and help industry prepare security risk mitigation measures, the United States Government must provide the industry a clearer concept of operations, assessed risks to cable supply chain and infrastructure, enhanced and standardized security measures, defined lines of effort in cases of emergency, and definitive cost analysis. (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 telecommunications infrastructure; (2) facilitate subsea telecommunications cable licensing and permitting; and (3) address other matters related to subsea telecommunications infrastructure 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 telecommunications infrastructure security and resilience. The overview shall include— (1) an interagency concept of operations for partnering with non-Federal entities, including subsea telecommunications infrastructure owners and operators, to secure and repair subsea telecommunications infrastructure systems in a variety of crisis scenarios; and (2) an interagency review and action plan to streamline subsea telecommunications infrastructure licensing, funding, and 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 telecommunications infrastructure sabotage (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 telecommunications infrastructure industry stakeholders to review subsea telecommunications infrastructure sabotage, including by leveraging analysis from industry-wide data, to— (A) identify trends; (B) refine attributions, particularly in cases where subsea telecommunications infrastructure has been intentionally damaged by malicious actors; (C) identify high-risk geographic areas for subsea telecommunications infrastructure construction; (D) identify Federal Government functions and private sector engagement methods to support the security of subsea telecommunications infrastructure; and (E) inform future risk mitigation efforts to reduce damage to subsea telecommunications infrastructure systems. (2) Strategy elements The strategies required under paragraph (1) shall include— (A) resourcing requirements; (B) coordination with United States allies and partners and relevant subsea telecommunications infrastructure industry stakeholders; and (C) the necessary technical expertise to make attributions for subsea telecommunications infrastructure sabotage. (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).