U.S. seeks to prohibit Chinese tech in underwater communication lines
In a move aimed at safeguarding critical internet infrastructure, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is preparing to vote on new rules that would prohibit the use of Chinese technology and restrict Chinese companies from building or operating undersea cables connected to the United States.
As of July 2025, the FCC does not yet have a formal ban on the inclusion of Chinese technology in undersea submarine communication cables. However, the commission has outlined plans to enact such a ban, which would target companies already on the FCC’s list of entities deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.
The proposed rules, scheduled for a vote on August 7, 2025, would also restrict Chinese companies from obtaining licenses to build or operate cables that connect directly to the U.S. Furthermore, a presumption of denial for licensing applications involving foreign adversaries, particularly China, for undersea cable projects would be applied.
These measures are in response to growing concerns about espionage, sabotage, and physical threats from foreign adversaries, especially China. The FCC and U.S. national security officials have deemed the protection of submarine cables, which carry 99% of international internet traffic, increasingly urgent.
The proposed rules build on long-standing U.S. concerns about China’s role in global telecommunications and past actions, such as the 2020 “rip and replace” mandate for Chinese equipment from U.S. telecom networks. Since 2020, the FCC has also played a role in blocking several undersea cable projects with direct connections between the U.S. and Hong Kong, citing national security concerns.
The FCC is seeking comment on additional measures to protect submarine cable security against foreign adversary equipment. However, no specific details about the new rules to be adopted by the FCC were provided.
In recent years, there have been incidents of possible sabotage, such as the cutting of two fiber-optic undersea telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea, and Taiwan accusing two Chinese vessels of cutting the only two cables that support internet access on the Matsu Islands in 2023. The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea may have been responsible for the cutting of three cables providing internet service to Europe and Asia.
The FCC is considering new rules that may bar the use of equipment or services in undersea cable facilities from companies deemed a threat to U.S. national security, including Huawei, ZTE, China Telecom, and China Mobile. However, the article does not mention any specific Chinese companies or technologies involved in the submarine cables.
The potential impacts of these new rules on the global communication network are not discussed in the article. The U.S. has been instrumental in the cancellation of four cables whose backers had wanted to link the United States with Hong Kong since 2020.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr stated that foreign adversaries, like China, have threatened submarine cable infrastructure in recent years. Carr emphasized that these cables are “the unsung heroes of global communications,” and that safeguarding them from foreign adversaries is a top priority.
References:
[1] Federal Communications Commission, “FCC Proposes Rules to Protect Submarine Cable Security,” Press Release, June 2025. [2] The New York Times, “FCC to Vote on Rules to Ban Chinese Technology in U.S.-Connected Undersea Cables,” August 2025. [3] The Wall Street Journal, “U.S. Moves to Ban Chinese Technology in Undersea Cables,” August 2025. [4] Reuters, “U.S. to Vote on Rules to Block Chinese Companies from Building Undersea Cables,” August 2025.
The FCC's proposed rules, as outlined in the press release from June 2025, aim to restrict Chinese companies from obtaining licenses to build or operate undersea cables connected to the United States, due to growing concerns about national security and potential threats from foreign adversaries, particularly China. The new rules are also expected to target specific Chinese companies deemed a risk, such as Huawei, ZTE, China Telecom, and China Mobile. In light of these developments, the role of technology in politics and general news is becoming increasingly significant.
