FCC to propose first undersea cable security overhaul since 2001

An undersea fiber optic cable is attached to a rope at Arrietara beach near the Spanish Basque village of Sopelana on June 13, 2017. ANDER GILLENEA/AFP via Getty Images

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday is expected to approve a proposal that would seek public feedback on ways to tighten national security standards and streamline oversight of undersea internet cable systems that route nearly all of the world’s internet traffic.

The move, a first for the agency since it last reviewed underwater internet cable rules in 2001, comes as officials and lawmakers around the world have called for comprehensive reviews of the cables’ security posture.

At least 600 undersea cables stretch across the globe. Suspended thousands of kilometers underwater, they enable near-instantaneous global communications and data access across national borders. Even this article, published on a news website in the United States, has likely reached overseas readers via ...