Review of Undersea Communications Cable Security

By David Shepardson

(Reuters) – A bipartisan group of eight U.S. senators urged President Joe Biden on Monday to order a review of the security of the global network of undersea communications cables that handle nearly all the world's internet traffic.

Nearly all international internet traffic travels on undersea cables, and their locations are often published to prevent accidental damage.

> "It is imperative that the United States undertake a review of existing vulnerabilities to global undersea cable infrastructure, including the threat of sabotage by Russia as well as the growing role of the People’s Republic of China in cable laying and repair," said the letter, led by Republican Todd Young and Democrat Chris Murphy.

The United States has expressed concerns about China’s role in handling network traffic, raising potential espionage risks.

More than 400 subsea cables form the backbone of the internet, carrying over 95% of the world’s data traffic.

In 2020, Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks emphasized the need to prevent adversary countries and hostile actors from tampering with the communications carried by these cables.

The senators, including Marco Rubio, Brian Schatz, Tim Kaine, and Dan Sullivan, stated that ensuring internet traffic security must be a national priority. They raised several questions, including the administration’s overall strategy to guarantee the security of America’s undersea infrastructure and the promotion of security among allies and partners.

They also inquired about the ideal size of the U.S.-flagged and operated cable-laying and repair vessel fleet to ensure sufficient cable repair capacity and how the White House is encouraging other nations to select trusted undersea cable manufacturers.

Reuters reported last year that the State Department and its partners had helped prevent China from acquiring new subsea contracts in strategic U.S. interests while other U.S. agencies blocked direct cable connections between the United States and mainland China due to espionage concerns.

Since 2020, U.S. regulators have played a key role in canceling four cables intended to link the United States with Hong Kong. In April, the FCC ordered the U.S. units of China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile to cease broadband internet operations in the United States. In June, the FCC advanced a proposal to enhance the security of transmitted internet information after incidents where a Chinese carrier misrouted traffic.

The White House and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.