FCC Proposes Ban on Chinese Tech in Undersea Cables to Secure US AI Infrastructure

The FCC wants to ban Chinese tech from the undersea cables that connect the U.S. to the rest of the world -- proposed new rules would 'secure cables against foreign adversaries'

FCC chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement that the commission is looking to defend U.S. infrastructure against a variety of threats. The FCC announced yesterday that it plans to vote on new rules "to unleash submarine cable investment to accelerate the buildout of AI infrastructure, while securing cables against foreign adversaries, like China," as part of its efforts to follow the America First Investment Policy Memorandum that President Donald Trump issued in February. "Submarine cables are the unsung heroes of global communications, carrying 99% of all Internet traffic," FCC chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement. "As the U.S. builds out the data centers and other infrastructure necessary to lead the world in AI and next-gen technologies, these cables are more important than ever." Carr's proposal takes a two-pronged approach: one incentivizes "the use of American submarine cable repair and maintenance ships and the use of trusted technology abroad, including a proposal to "presumptively entirely exempt from Team Telecom review license applications that meet a high-level security standard," while the other disincentivizes the use of Chinese technology in global infrastructure by imposing additional restrictions on its use in any undersea cables that connect to the U.S.. "We have seen submarine cable infrastructure threatened in recent years by foreign adversaries, like China," Carr said in his statement. Perhaps the most prominent example arrived in November 2024 when two undersea cables that connected Finland and Sweden to the rest of Europe were cut; December 2024 reports suggested that underwater footage supported claims this was a deliberate act of sabotage conducted by a Chinese bulk carrier that dragged its anchor across the cables. There are also concerns that China might abuse the use of its technologies in these undersea cables to conduct mass spying. Reuters published a special report in 2023 about the U.S. and China's mutual distrust over the other's involvement with this critical infrastructure. "Spy agencies can readily tap into cables landing on their territory," the report said, with one expert telling the outlet that "undersea cables were 'a surveillance gold mine' for the world's intelligence agencies." So what does Carr want to do about that? The FCC said that Carr's proposal would see it "adopt a range of measures to protect submarine cables against foreign adversaries -- apply a presumption of denial for certain foreign adversary-controlled license applicants, limiting capacity leasing agreements to such entities, prohibiting the use of 'covered' equipment, establishing cybersecurity and physical security requirements, and more -- all while streamlining the Commission's license review procedures." This wouldn't be the first time the U.S. looked to ban Chinese tech from communications infrastructure. Equipment made by Huawei and ZTE was banned from use in American telecommunications in 2019, for example, although the Pentagon argued in 2024 that it was effectively impossible not to use Huawei's products in some capacity because it's the largest telecoms provider in the world. Presumably, these restrictions would face similar obstacles if they're accepted.

FCC targets removal of Chinese tech in subsea cables

Maybe finish ripping and replacing your telco networks first? Uncle Sam has decided it's time to free US-connected undersea cables from Chinese influence. FCC chairman Brendan Carr announced on Wednesday that the Commission would vote next month on a rule that will not only secure undersea cables from America's international adversaries, but also pump cash into a buildout of submarine infrastructure. As is the case with most tech investments in 2025, this is being done "to accelerate the buildout of AI infrastructure." "As the US builds out the datacenters and other infrastructure necessary to lead the world in AI and next-gen technologies, these cables are more important than ever," Carr said in a canned statement, noting that submarine cables carry 99 percent of the world's internet traffic, and are facing increased threats from countries like China and Russia. According to the announcement yesterday, the rule proposes to issue default denials to "certain foreign adversary-controlled" applicants for cable construction, operation or leasing, and would prohibit the use of "covered" equipment in subsea cable infrastructure. How the FCC is defining covered equipment here is unknown. The proposed rule isn't public and the Commission declined to provide us with a copy or provide answers to any questions we asked. That said, the category of covered equipment may end up looking something like the rip-and-replace order signed in 2021 that directed telecoms to tear out networking equipment made by Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE. The feds' attempt to keep foreign tech and influence out of US-connected subsea cables won't be simple, judging from the slow walk of the rip-and-replace program. Despite kicking off four years ago, the FCC is still trying to make rip and replace happen. As of July 2024, the Commission was warning that most telcos were a long way off from meeting the program's demands, and were coming up billions short to fund the effort. Biden administration FCC chief Jessica Rosenworcel urged a spectrum auction to raise funds for rip and replace, which still has yet to happen. The FCC was only cleared to restart spectrum auctions with the passage of Trump's budget bill earlier this month. Submarine cables have been a hot topic over the past few years as they've come under attack, with everyone from China and Russia to Yemeni Houthi rebels allegedly getting in on the act. China hasn't restricted itself to cable-cutting operations in local waters, with a ship from the East Asian nation accused of damaging a cable in the Baltic Sea late last year as well. Sweden deployed naval forces to patrol the Baltic earlier this year to head off cable-cutting attacks. And China is reportedly developing a device specifically designed to sever subsea cables. It's able to operate at twice the maximum subsea cable depth, meaning even the deepest cables are no longer safely out of reach. ®

FCC moves to ban Chinese tech from undersea cables

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. What just happened? It seems the next technology to be banned by the US for featuring Chinese components will be undersea cables. The FCC has announced that it will vote on rules that will, among other things, prohibit companies from connecting submarine communications cables to the United States if they include Chinese technology or equipment. According to a statement from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the FCC will vote on rules to "unleash submarine cable investment to accelerate the buildout of AI infrastructure, while securing cables against foreign adversaries, like China." Carr wrote that undersea cable infrastructure, which carries 99% of all international internet traffic, has been threatened in recent years by foreign adversaries, including China. Therefore, the US is taking action to guard these cables against foreign adversary ownership and access as well as cyber and physical threats. The proposed rules will apply to companies on the FCC's entity list, which includes Huawei and ZTE. Donald Trump signed a law during his first term that required US carriers to replace mobile infrastructure from the two Chinese tech giants. The FCC announced last year that it was considering new rules for the undersea cables, including banning the use of equipment from companies on the entity list as they pose "an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States." The rules will also limit Chinese companies' ability to receive a license to build or operate cables that connect to the US, applying a presumption of denial for certain applicants, limiting capacity leasing agreements to such entities, and more. The Commission is seeking comment on various additional measures to protect submarine cable security against foreign adversary equipment and services, while also incentivizing the use of American submarine cable repair and maintenance ships and the use of trusted technology abroad. Undersea cables have become an increasingly popular target in recent times. In December 2024, Finland's Estlink 2 power link and two Elisa data cables to Estonia were sliced, apparently by the shadow-fleet tanker Eagle S. China ignored Estonian legal requests yet eventually allowed EU teams to inspect sister vessel Yi Peng 3. In 2023, Taiwan blamed two Chinese vessels for cutting the two cables supporting internet access on Matsu Islands. In March, it was reported that China had created a deep-sea cable-cutting device capable of severing the world's most fortified underwater communication and power lines at depths of up to 4,000 meters (2.5 miles).

US government wants to ban Chinese technology in submarine cables

This includes a default denial of contracts to Chinese firms A recent proposal by the FCC outlines plans to 'unleash submarine cable investment' in order to 'accelerate the buildout of AI infrastructure' across the US, whilst also making efforts to, 'secure cables against foreign adversaries, like China'. If adopted, this could mean a range of measures would be implemented to protect submarine cables, applying a 'presumption of denial' for adversarial state applicants for controlled licenses, and establishing physical and cybersecurity requirements, as well as restricting leasing agreements to these organizations. Alongside this, the report proposes a ban on the use of 'covered equipment' in undersea cable infrastructure - although the report doesn't give a definition of the term. Sabotage to submarine cables would be undoubtedly catastrophic, not just to the US, but to pretty much every part of the world. The cables carry 99% of all internet traffic, handling roughly $10 trillion of daily financial transactions. Satellite technology, though active, is not yet capable of handling the same volume of traffic. As FCC Chairman Brendan Carr described, undersea cables are the 'unsung heroes of global communications'. There is precedent for this type of order, with Huawei and ZTE facing 'rip and replace' campaigns back in 2020 in a bid to remove Chinese tech from the infrastructure of rural operators, as part of a larger effort to exclude Chinese vendors from the US market. "As the U.S. builds out the data centers and other infrastructure necessary to lead the world in AI and next-gen technologies, these cables are more important than ever. At the same time, as President Trump has long recognized: 'economic security is national security,' says Chairman Carr. "We have seen submarine cable infrastructure threatened in recent years by foreign adversaries, like China. We are therefore taking action here to guard our submarine cables against foreign adversary ownership, and access as well as cyber and physical threats."