FCC Unanimously Moves to Update Subsea Cable Rules

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2024 – The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to start the process of overhauling its submarine cable rules. It would be the first such update since 2001.

“They’re easy to miss, but more than 95 percent of internet traffic across the globe travels over these facilities, including financial transactions that add up to more than $1 trillion a day,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said at the agency’s meeting Thursday. “Despite the increase in their importance and advancements in technology, our practices overseeing these facilities have not changed much during the last two decades at the FCC.”

The agency is responsible for licensing subsea cable facilities that hook up to the United States. Rosenworcel said there are currently 84 cables licensed by the FCC.