Assessment of Trans-Atlantic Submarine Fiber Optic Cable

Floor Speech

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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1737) 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.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 1737

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. ASSESSMENT OF TRANS-ATLANTIC SUBMARINE FIBER OPTIC CABLE.

(a) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the heads of other Federal departments and agencies as necessary, shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 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, to enhance the national security of the United States.

(b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall include an assessment of--

(1) the digital security, national security, and economic opportunities associated with a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable described in subsection (a);

(2) the lifespan of submarine fiber optic cables currently connecting the United States Virgin Islands to the contiguous United States;

(3) the current security of telecommunications between the contiguous United States and the United States Virgin Islands;

(4) the readiness of telecommunications infrastructure in the United States Virgin Islands to support a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable described in subsection (a);

(5) the potential for engagement with trusted entities in the deployment of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable described in subsection (a), and the associated geopolitical and economic advantages;

(6) the potential connectivity opportunities to maximize investments in the United States economy through the use of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable described in subsection (a);

(7) the value, cost, and feasibility of establishing a data center and high-security cloud services facility, with independent power generation, in the United States Virgin Islands for communications of the United States Africa Command, communications of the United States Special Operations Command, and national security communications;

(8) the state of submarine fiber optic cables connected to United States telecommunications infrastructure; and

(9) any other related matters the Secretary determines are appropriate.

(c) No Mandatory Data Collection.--The Secretary may not require any entity to provide data for purposes of preparing the report required by subsection (a).

(d) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form without any designation relating to dissemination control, but may include a classified annex.

(e) Definitions.--In this section:

(1) Not trusted.--The term ``not trusted'' means, with respect to an entity, that the entity is determined by the Secretary to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States, or the security and safety of United States persons, based solely on one or more determination described under paragraphs (1) through (4) of section 2(c) of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C. 1601(c)).

(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.

(3) Trusted.--The term ``trusted'' means, with respect to an entity, that the Secretary has not determined that the entity is not trusted.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of H.R. 1737. I am advocating for this particular bill. The bill would direct the Secretary of Commerce to submit a report on the value, cost, and feasibility of developing a transatlantic submarine cable connecting the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria.

Submarine cables are critical components of communications infrastructure, carrying data traffic across oceans. There are more than 600 active and planned submarine cable systems that keep the world connected, but there is no cable connecting the United States to the continent of Africa.

Mr. Speaker, a transatlantic submarine cable could provide national security benefits to the United States, given Africa's strategic importance, and it is an important issue to study, in my opinion.

I thank Delegate Plaskett and Representative Fulcher for their leadership on this particular bill, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 1737.
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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for offering this very important bill, and I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this particular bill.

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