FCC to bar Chinese telecom equipment in submarine cables

The Federal Communications Commission plans to vote on new rules designed to shield the United States’ undersea communications links from foreign interference while accelerating domestic repair work and AI‑driven infrastructure expansion. Chair Brendan Carr framed the initiative as a response to “foreign adversary ownership, access, and cyber and physical threats,” with China cited repeatedly as the primary concern.

The proposal combines incentives for trusted suppliers with disincentives for high‑risk technology. License applications meeting strict security criteria would be automatically exempted from the lengthy Team Telecom review. At the same time, cables that rely on equipment from firms already deemed national‑security threats—Huawei, ZTE, China Telecom, China Mobile, and others—would face a presumption of denial, new cybersecurity and physical‑security requirements, and limits on capacity‑leasing arrangements.

Two Baltic Sea fiber‑optic lines were severed in late 2024, an incident investigators believe was deliberate sabotage by a passing cargo vessel. Taiwan reported two Chinese ships cutting the only cables serving the Matsu Islands in 2023, and suspected Houthi attacks disrupted three Red Sea lines early last year. Such incidents highlight what Carr called the “unsung heroes of global communications”: more than 400 undersea cables that carry roughly 99 percent of international internet traffic.

Washington’s distrust of Chinese telecom gear has been building for years. Huawei and ZTE equipment were banned from US terrestrial networks in 2019, yet the Pentagon noted in 2024 that completely avoiding the world’s largest telecom supplier remains difficult. Similar complications are likely for subsea systems, where Chinese firms are already entrenched, and the supply chain is global.

If adopted, the FCC’s rules would overhaul a licensing regime that has canceled four proposed Hong Kong links since 2020. The agency will also seek public comment on additional steps, including mandatory cybersecurity standards and further restrictions on equipment from blacklisted vendors. The vote is expected at the commission’s next open meeting.