Several US senators proposed the "Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2025" on Monday to spur US government engagement related to the security, installation and maintenance, and repair of undersea fiber-optic cables.
One of those proposing the bill, ranking Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Jeanne Shaheen, referred to fiber-optic cables as "strategic" and "critical infrastructure" that "form the bedrock of global Internet traffic," a committee statement said.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration
The US must respond to the rise of cable cuts in the Baltic Sea and the Taiwan Strait, she said in a committee news release.
Another of the bill's sponsors, Republican John Barrasso, echoed Shaheen's views, saying that adversaries such as China and Russia continue to target the cables to "disrupt communications in Taiwan and for our allies across Europe and the Middle East."
Because of that, the US should ensure that the vital telecommunications infrastructure is safeguarded from "terrorist threats," Barrasso said.
The bill calls for greater US participation in international bodies such as the International Cable Protection Committee and increased US Department of State investment, including hiring at least two full-time staff dedicated to the effort.
It would require the US president to impose sanctions against foreign people who intentionally damage undersea cables and establish an inter-agency committee to coordinate related efforts.
It would also mandate a federal strategy to work with industry partners and require federal agencies to develop procedures to ensure timely communication of threat information with private undersea cable operators.
Undersea cables connected to Taiwan have faced ongoing disruptions in recent years.
The National Security Bureau in September said that about seven to eight undersea cable breaks occurred around Taiwan over the past three years, with four occurring within two months of the beginning of this year.
A Chinese captain was found responsible for one of the aforementioned incidents in June.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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