Charter Seeks FCC Exemptions Related to New Submarine Cable Rule

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2026 — Charter Communications, parent company of Spectrum, is urging the Federal Communications Commission to exempt it from proposed agency disclosure and licensing requirements. Charter made this request in comments filed with the agency on April 13 in response to a draft order proposing new requirements for producers of submarine cables.

The FCC's draft order, released on April 9, would revoke blanket authority for companies on the FCC’s Covered List to operate domestic transmission lines. The order would also require test labs and telecommunications certification bodies (TCBs) to keep lists of foreign employees involved in FCC-regulated projects and to report their location to the FCC. The FCC has sought to limit foreign involvement in undersea cable construction, citing national security concerns over the military-civil fusion of Chinese telecom companies.

“Today, more than 75% of testing occurs in countries that have refused to commit to reciprocal treatment of U.S.-based labs and certification bodies,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement. This month, the FCC will begin the process to end this unfair system.” 

The order provides a fast-track review process for technologies subject to Pre-Approval Guidance or PAG certification. The order also directs the Office of Engineering and Technology to revise their post-market surveillance standards regarding the sampling of certification grants.

Charter suggested a one-time certification process to allow “wholly trusted” companies to avoid a presumption of denial proceeding from the FCC. Charter also raised concerns that disclosing “cybersecurity plans” publicly would create vulnerabilities and raise liability concerns under the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022.