119th Congress · introduced in the Senate · Sep 18, 2025
Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (Sep 18, 2025): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Transportation and Public Works
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Introduced in Senate (Sep 18, 2025)
Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025
This bill prohibits the Department of Commerce from enforcing certain permit requirements for activities related to undersea fiber optic cables in national marine sanctuaries.
Specifically, Commerce may not prohibit or require an authorization for any covered activities related to undersea fiber optic cables if a license, lease, or permit has been issued by a state or federal agency to authorize the covered activity. Covered activities are the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary.
The bill also authorizes Commerce to direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to engage in interagency cooperation regarding federal agency actions that are likely to destroy, cause the loss of, or injure a resource in a national marine sanctuary and involve covered activities.
Includes amendment, cloture, and procedural votes. Each is labeled with its exact question; only a passage question is a vote to pass the bill.
No recorded roll calls on this bill in coverage.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Introduced in Senate
Actions from Congress.gov, newest first.
Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies · Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
LD-2 reports whose issue descriptions explicitly cite this bill (bill type and number validated against Congress.gov records). A citation does not establish the client's position or any contact with a member.
Loading lobbying reportsCoverage: reports for 2025 onward, posted Jan 1, 2025 through Oct 23, 2026.
6 citations.
NEC CORPORATION OF AMERICA · lobbying firm or registrant: NEC CORPORATION OF AMERICA
2026 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026) · posted Oct 19, 2026 · issue area: Telecommunications
$85,000
Spent on own lobbying
…eguarding Essential Cables through Undersea Risk Elimination (SECURE) American Telecommunications Act S. 3249 / H.R. 8069 - Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2025 S. 2873 / H.R. 261 - Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
NEC CORPORATION OF AMERICA · lobbying firm or registrant: NEC CORPORATION OF AMERICA
2026 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2026) · posted Jul 20, 2026 · issue area: Telecommunications
$85,000
Spent on own lobbying
…eguarding Essential Cables through Undersea Risk Elimination (SECURE) American Telecommunications Act S. 3249 / H.R. 8069 - Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2025 S. 2873 / H.R. 261 - Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
NEC CORPORATION OF AMERICA · lobbying firm or registrant: NEC CORPORATION OF AMERICA
2026 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2026 – Mar 31, 2026) · posted Apr 21, 2026 · issue area: Telecommunications
$85,000
Spent on own lobbying
…eguarding Essential Cables through Undersea Risk Elimination (SECURE) American Telecommunications Act S. 3249 / H.R. 8069 - Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2025 S. 2873 / H.R. 261 - Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
PC LANDING CORP. · lobbying firm or registrant: WOMBLE BOND DICKINSON US LLP
2026 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2026 – Mar 31, 2026) · posted Apr 20, 2026 · issue area: Communications/Broadcasting/Radio/TV
$90,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Federal policies and process that impact submarine cable infrastructure, including Undersea Cable Protection Act (H.R. 261 / S. 2873).
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
PC LANDING CORP. · lobbying firm or registrant: WOMBLE BOND DICKINSON US LLP
2025 Q4 report (Oct 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025) · posted Jan 20, 2026 · issue area: Communications/Broadcasting/Radio/TV
$30,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Federal policies and process that impact submarine cable infrastructure, including Undersea Cable Protection Act (H.R. 261 / S. 2873).
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
PC LANDING CORP. · lobbying firm or registrant: WOMBLE BOND DICKINSON US LLP
2025 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2025) · posted Oct 20, 2025 · issue area: Communications/Broadcasting/Radio/TV
$20,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Federal policies and process that impact submarine cable infrastructure, including Undersea Cable Protection Act (H.R. 261 / S. 2873).
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing