US Lawmakers Press Tech CEOs to Address Submarine Cable Concerns

Three US Republican lawmakers have asked the CEOs of Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft to address concerns about submarine communications cables and the potential threat from China and Russia. The lawmakers want the companies to disclose if they have adopted adequate safeguards and if they are aware of any instances of suspected hardware tampering or operational irregularities during cable repair or maintenance events. The US FCC plans to adopt rules to bar companies from connecting undersea submarine communication cables to the US that include Chinese technology or equipment.

Three Republican lawmakers have sent letters to the CEOs of Alphabet (GOOGL.O), Meta (META.O), Amazon (AMZN.O), and Microsoft (MSFT.O), requesting information on safeguards against potential threats from China and Russia in submarine communications cables [1].

The letter, signed by Representative John Moolenaar and two other Republicans, expresses concerns about entities affiliated with China, such as SBSS, Huawei Marine, China Telecom, and China Unicom, continuing to provide maintenance or servicing to cable systems in which the tech firms have operational involvement or ownership stakes [1].

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to adopt new rules prohibiting undersea communication cables from connecting to the U.S. if they contain Chinese technology or equipment [2]. The FCC has been instrumental in blocking at least four planned subsea cables that would have linked the U.S. to Hong Kong since 2020 [3].

The concerns about submarine cables are not new. In 2023, Taiwan accused two Chinese vessels of cutting the only two cables that support internet access on the Matsu Islands, and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea may have been responsible for the cutting of three cables providing internet service to Europe and Asia [3].

The FCC has been considering new rules to protect submarine cable security against foreign adversary equipment since last year [3]. The commission is expected to approve the rule on August 7, which would affect Chinese companies already on an FCC list of companies deemed to pose threats to U.S. national security [4].

The new rule will have an impact on Chinese companies such as Huawei, which supplies some of the equipment for submarine cables [4]. The rule will also affect Chinese companies like China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile, which own or operate cables that connect to the U.S. [4].

The U.S. has been raising alarm about the network of more than 400 subsea cables that handle 99% of international internet traffic. The FCC is taking action to guard these cables against foreign adversary ownership, access, and cyber and physical threats [3].

References:
[1] https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/lawmakers-want-us-tech-ceos-address-concerns-about-submarine-cables-2025-07-21/
[2] https://stocktwits.com/news-articles/markets/equity/meta-microsoft-amazon-alphabet-questioned-by-us-lawmakers/ch8AjYoR5rq
[3] https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-aims-ban-chinese-technology-submarine-cables-ft-reports-2025-07-16/
[4] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-set-ban-chinese-technology-201418542.html