[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 143 (Tuesday, September 2, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3733-H3734]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
UNDERSEA CABLE CONTROL ACT
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 2503) to require the development of a strategy to
eliminate the availability to foreign adversaries of goods and
technologies capable of supporting undersea cables, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2503
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 ``Undersea Cable Control
Act''.
SEC. 2. STRATEGY TO ELIMINATE THE AVAILABILITY TO FOREIGN
ADVERSARIES OF ITEMS REQUIRED FOR SUPPORTING
UNDERSEA CABLES.
(a) In General.--The President, acting through the
Secretary of Commerce and in coordination with the Secretary
of State, shall develop a strategy to eliminate the
availability to foreign adversaries of items required for
supporting undersea cables consistent with United States
policy described in section 1752 of the Export Control Reform
Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4811).
(b) Matters To Be Included.--The strategy required under
subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) An identification of items required for supporting the
construction, maintenance, or operation of an undersea cable
project.
(2) An identification of United States and multilateral
export controls and licensing policies for items identified
pursuant to paragraph (1) with respect to foreign
adversaries.
(3) An identification of United States allies and partners
that have a share of the global market with respect to the
items so identified, including a detailed description of the
availability of such items without restriction in sufficient
quantities and comparable in quality to those produced in the
United States.
(4) A description of ongoing negotiations with other
countries to achieve unified export controls and licensing
policies for items so identified to eliminate availability to
foreign adversaries.
(5) To the extent practicable, an identification of all
identified entities under the control, ownership, or
influence of a foreign adversary that support the
construction, operation, or maintenance of undersea cables.
(6) A description of efforts taken to promote United States
leadership at international standards-setting bodies for
equipment, systems, software, and virtually defined networks
relevant to undersea cables, taking into account the
different processes followed by such bodies.
(7) A description of the presence and activities of foreign
adversaries at international standards-setting bodies
relevant to undersea cables, including information on the
differences in the scope and scale of the engagement of
foreign adversaries at such bodies compared to engagement at
such bodies by the United States and its allies and partners,
and the security risks raised by the proposals of foreign
adversaries at such bodies.
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter for 3
years, the President shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report that contains the strategy
required under subsection (a).
(2) Form.--Each report required under this subsection
shall--
(A) be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a
classified annex; and
(B) be made available on a publicly accessible Federal
Government website.
(d) Agreement.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the President shall seek to--
(A) establish bilateral or multilateral agreements with
allies and partners identified pursuant to subsection (b)(3)
to seek to eliminate the availability to foreign adversaries
of items identified pursuant to subsection (b)(1); and
(B) include in such agreements penalty provisions for
noncompliance.
(2) Briefings.--The President shall brief the congressional
committees specified in subsection (c)(1) on negotiations to
establish agreements described in paragraph (1) beginning not
later than 30 days after receipt of the report required under
subsection (a) and every 180 days thereafter until each such
agreement is established.
(e) Actions.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Commerce shall evaluate
the export, reexport, and in-country transfer of the items
identified pursuant to subsection (b)(1) for appropriate
controls under the Export Administration Regulations,
including by evaluating, for each item so identified, whether
to add the technology to the Commerce Control List maintained
under title 15, Code of Federal Regulations.
(2) Levels of control.--
(A) In general.--In determining the level of control
appropriate for items identified pursuant to subsection
(b)(1), including requirements for a license or other
authorization for the export, reexport, or in-country
transfer of any such technology, the Secretary of Commerce
(in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary
of State, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as
appropriate) shall take into account the potential end uses
and end users of the item.
(B) Statement of policy.--At a minimum, it is the policy of
the United States to work with its allies and partners to
control the export, reexport, or in-country transfer of
technologies identified pursuant to subsection (b)(1) to or
in a country subject to an embargo, including an arms
embargo, imposed by the United States.
(3) Notification.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 3 years,
the President, acting through the Secretary of Commerce,
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an
unclassified notification describing the results of actions
taken pursuant to this subsection in the preceding period,
including a description of--
(A) the individual items evaluated for controls; and
(B) the rationale, including United States national
security and foreign policy considerations, for adding or not
adding an item to the Commerce Control List maintained under
title 15, Code of Federal Regulations,
[[Page H3734]]
pursuant to the evaluation under paragraph (1) with respect
to such item.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of
the Senate.
(2) Foreign adversary.--The term ``foreign adversary'' has
the meaning given such term in section 8(c) of the Secure and
Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C.
1607(c)).
(3) Item.--The term ``item'' has the meaning given such
term in the Export Administration Regulations (15 C.F.R.
772.1).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Baumgartner) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.
general leave
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Washington?
There was no objection.
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Representative Kean's
Undersea Cable Control Act.
Over 99 percent of the world's data that crosses the oceans travels
through the fiber-optic cables that sit on the sea floor. This bill
requires the U.S. to develop and execute a strategy to protect this
critical infrastructure.
America's adversaries are working around the clock to control these
communication chokepoints. Chinese companies like HMN Technologies,
formerly known as Huawei Marine Networks, are estimated to be building
or repairing about a quarter of the world's undersea cables. There have
been documented instances of the Chinese manipulating and spying on
these networks, with internet traffic being rerouted through China.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we identify what the Chinese
Communist Party needs to deploy undersea cables so that we can ensure
only America and its allies lead in the development and maintenance of
this technology.
I urge my colleagues to support Representative Kean's fine bill to
begin this process of protecting this critical and vulnerable
infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2503.
Communication systems and access to the internet are highly dependent
on undersea cables. Ninety-nine percent of intercontinental data
travels via undersea fiber-optic cables on the ocean floor.
It goes without saying that control and manufacture of these cables
matter not just for economic development but will matter in any
conflict.
The United States, with allies and partners, must maintain strategic
independence and should seek to become the primary source of this
critical infrastructure. This bill will force the Bureau of Industry
and Security to provide a study along these lines, which is long
overdue.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join in supporting this
measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
New Jersey (Mr. Kean), the sponsor of this fine legislation.
Mr. KEAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2503, the Undersea
Cable Control Act.
Undersea cables have long been an integral part of America's
transcontinental communication and data transmission. The Undersea
Cable Control Act is a crucial, bipartisan piece of legislation
designed to protect U.S. national security and ensure continued U.S.
technological leadership.
By limiting our foreign adversaries' access to undersea cabling
infrastructure, we can protect U.S. leadership from the influence of
adversarial governments, like the Chinese Communist Party.
I think we can all agree, regardless of which side of the aisle we
stand on, that there is a need to ensure technologies critical to
America's telecommunications infrastructure do not end up in the wrong
hands.
Undersea cables carry approximately 99 percent of transoceanic
digital traffic, enabling $10 trillion in daily financial transactions
and contributing hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy
every year.
{time} 1650
Mr. Speaker, undersea cable infrastructure has become the digital
background for the modern global economy. Recent attacks on the
transcontinental cable have exposed vulnerabilities in the framework.
However, this bill directs Congress and the State Department to
develop a strategy to eliminate adversarial access to the key
technologies used in undersea cables. This strengthens our export
controls, requires transparency and public reporting, and promotes
collaboration with our allies abroad to ensure our standards and
infrastructure are secure.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Mast of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee for authoring this bill during the 118th Congress. I am
honored to continue the legacy he began.
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I support this bill on undersea
cables and believe it is a smart step to develop a strategy for
American economic statecraft in this important area.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, the Undersea Cable Control Act will
ensure America, not the Chinese Communist Party, is connecting the
globe with critical undersea cable infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baumgartner) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2503.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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