New rules protect undersea internet cables landing in the U.S.
H.R. 10695 — United States Submarine Cable Security Policy Act of 2026 · Filed by August Pfluger (R-TX) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Oct 1, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
The bill sets up security rules for submarine cables. These cables bring internet to the United States. The FCC and a federal committee must write two levels of security standards: basic and enhanced. Cable companies must follow these rules. Some companies can skip full review by the committee. The bill sets automatic approval dates for cable projects.
Who it affects
Cable companies that operate submarine cables must meet new security standards. People who use the internet benefit from stronger cable protection. The bill does not say who pays for security measures.
One thing to notice
Some cable companies can skip full review if they meet certain rules. The bill sets automatic approval dates, so cables get approved if the FCC misses the deadline.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.
- Oct 1, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Oct 1, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- submarine cables — Cables laid on the ocean floor that carry internet and phone signals between countries.
- FCC — The Federal Communications Commission, the federal agency that makes rules for phones, radio, and internet.
- security standards — Rules that cable companies must follow to protect cables from harm or attack.
- federal committee — A group of federal officials who review and approve submarine cable projects.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (17,008 characters) on Oct 6, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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