Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025 passed the House 398 days after introduction and awaits a vote in the Senate
Written by the Congressional Research Service [2]. 135 words.
Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025 This bill prohibits the Department of Commerce from enforcing certain permit requirements for activities related to undersea fiber optic cables in national marine sanctuaries. Specifically, Commerce may not prohibit or require an authorization for any covered activities related to undersea fiber optic cables if a license, lease, or permit has been issued by a state or federal agency to authorize the covered activity. Covered activities are the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary. The bill also authorizes Commerce to direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to engage in interagency cooperation regarding federal agency actions that are likely to destroy, cause the loss of, or injure a resource in a national marine sanctuary and involve covered activities.
- Committees
- House Natural Resources Committee
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee - Policy area
- Public Lands and Natural Resources: 136 of 3,779 bills became law, 113th–118th (3.6%)
- Sponsor
- 7 of 178 bills enacted since 2013
- Text versions
- 4, from introduced in house to referred in senate · 260 words
- Subjects
- Broadcasting, cable, digital technologiesMarine and coastal resources, fisheries
- Latest action
- Feb 12, 2026: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Records
- Congress.gov · Bill text
Each bill appears once, under its strongest link. 3 in all.
Identical or companion · 1
- 119th S. 2873 Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025 R · Introduced
Procedural (rules, motions) · 2
- 119th H.Res. 1042 Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2189) to modernize Federal firearms laws to account for advancements in technology and less-th R · Failed vote
- 119th H.Res. 1057 Providing for consideration of the bill (S. 1383) to establish the Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access, and for other purposes; prov R · Agreed to