Submarine Cable Landing Licenses (FCC)

Current understanding

To be populated as evidence accumulates.

2026-02-10 — Critical Undersea Infrastructure Resilience Initiative Act: S2222 (Critical Undersea Infrastructure Resilience Initiative Act) placed on Senate Legislative Calendar — a parallel legislative track focused on resilience of undersea cables and pipelines, complementing the FCC’s licensing-side national security reforms. (novelty: 3)
2026-07-27 — Review of Submarine Cable Landing License Rules and Procedures To Assess Evolving National Security, Law Enforcement, Foreign Policy, and Trade Policy Risks: FCC Second Report and Order creates a licensing/reporting regime for submarine line terminal equipment (SLTE) owners and operators, adds routine national-security conditions and certifications, and establishes a presumptive exemption from Executive Branch referral when ten national-security standards are satisfied — intended to speed cable deployment while tightening security oversight. (novelty: 3)