It looks like the next technology to be banned by the US for using Chinese components will be undersea cables. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it will vote on a number of rules that would prohibit companies from connecting undersea communications cables containing Chinese technology or equipment to the United States.
According to a statement from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the FCC will vote on rules that would “free up investment in undersea cables and accelerate the construction of artificial intelligence infrastructure while ensuring that cables are protected from threats from foreign adversaries such as China.”
Carr wrote that the undersea cable infrastructure that carries 99% of international Internet traffic has been threatened in recent years by foreign adversaries, including China. Therefore, the United States is taking action to protect these cables from foreign adversary ownership and access as well as cyber and physical threats.
The proposed rule would apply to companies on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Entity List, which includes Huawei and ZTE. During his first term, Donald Trump signed a law requiring U.S. carriers to replace the two Chinese tech giants' mobile infrastructure.
The FCC announced last year that it was considering new rules for undersea cables, including banning the use of equipment provided by companies on the Entity List because they "pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security."
The regulations would also limit the ability of Chinese companies to obtain licenses to build or operate cables to the United States, impose a presumption of denial on certain applicants, limit capacity leasing agreements with such entities, and more.
The committee is seeking comment on a variety of additional measures to protect undersea cables from foreign adversary equipment and services while encouraging the use of U.S. undersea cables to repair and maintain vessels and the use of trusted technologies abroad.
In recent years, submarine cables have become increasingly targeted. In December 2024, Finland's Estlink 2 power line and two Elisa data cables to Estonia were cut, and in 2023, Taiwan accused two Chinese ships of cutting two cables supporting Internet access in the Matsu Islands.
In March, reports emerged that China had developed a deep-sea cable-cutting device capable of severing the world's most heavily defended underwater communications and power lines at a depth of 4,000 meters (2.5 miles).