WASHINGTON, D.C. –– This week, Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, introduced the “Undersea Cable Security and Protection Act,” which would establish an interagency working group with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Communications Commission for the security, resiliency, and integrity of undersea cables.

 “Almost all global telecommunications rely on undersea cables. Our adversaries know their strategic importance, yet these cables remain significantly under-protected,” Subcommittee Chairman Pfluger said. “With mounting threats of espionage, sabotage, and cyberattacks from adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran, and proxy terrorist groups such as the Houthis, it is critical that we act now to safeguard this indispensable infrastructure. My legislation ensures this issue gets the attention it deserves––before it’s too late.”

Background:

Undersea cables are responsible for 99 percent of the telecommunications activity across oceans, according to the Congressional Research Service. From financial services to internet connectivity, an accidental or intentional threat to this important sector could have widespread impacts on global commerce and military communications. 

While most destructive incidents against undersea cables are accidental, the devastating impacts of an outage, as well as the increased aggression by America’s adversaries against our critical infrastructure and in cyberspace, make any vulnerability an urgent issue to be addressed with a whole-of-government approach. Just this month, reports revealed increased Russian military activity in the vicinity of strategic U.S. undersea cables. 

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