H.R. 1737

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1737 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1737

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 24, 2025

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

AN ACT

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to submit to Congress a report 
containing an assessment of the value, cost, and feasibility of a 
trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable connecting the contiguous 
United States, the United States Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ASSESSMENT OF TRANS-ATLANTIC SUBMARINE FIBER OPTIC CABLE.

(a) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the heads of other 
Federal departments and agencies as necessary, shall submit to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 
report containing an assessment of the value, cost, and feasibility of 
a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable connecting the contiguous 
United States, the United States Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria, to 
enhance the national security of the United States.
(b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall include 
an assessment of--
(1) the digital security, national security, and economic 
opportunities associated with a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber 
optic cable described in subsection (a);
(2) the lifespan of submarine fiber optic cables currently 
connecting the United States Virgin Islands to the contiguous 
United States;
(3) the current security of telecommunications between the 
contiguous United States and the United States Virgin Islands;
(4) the readiness of telecommunications infrastructure in 
the United States Virgin Islands to support a trans-Atlantic 
submarine fiber optic cable described in subsection (a);
(5) the potential for engagement with trusted entities in 
the deployment of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable 
described in subsection (a), and the associated geopolitical 
and economic advantages;
(6) the potential connectivity opportunities to maximize 
investments in the United States economy through the use of a 
trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable described in 
subsection (a);
(7) the value, cost, and feasibility of establishing a data 
center and high-security cloud services facility, with 
independent power generation, in the United States Virgin 
Islands for communications of the United States Africa Command, 
communications of the United States Special Operations Command, 
and national security communications;
(8) the state of submarine fiber optic cables connected to 
United States telecommunications infrastructure; and
(9) any other related matters the Secretary determines are 
appropriate.
(c) No Mandatory Data Collection.--The Secretary may not require 
any entity to provide data for purposes of preparing the report 
required by subsection (a).
(d) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be submitted 
in unclassified form without any designation relating to dissemination 
control, but may include a classified annex.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Not trusted.--The term ``not trusted'' means, with 
respect to an entity, that the entity is determined by the 
Secretary to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security 
of the United States, or the security and safety of United 
States persons, based solely on one or more determination 
described under paragraphs (1) through (4) of section 2(c) of 
the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (47 
U.S.C. 1601(c)).
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce 
for Communications and Information.
(3) Trusted.--The term ``trusted'' means, with respect to 
an entity, that the Secretary has not determined that the 
entity is not trusted.

Passed the House of Representatives June 23, 2025.

Attest:

KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

Clerk.