[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2503 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2503
To require the development of a strategy to eliminate the availability
to foreign adversaries of goods and technologies capable of supporting
undersea cables, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 31, 2025
Mr. Kean introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
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A BILL
To require the development of a strategy to eliminate the availability
to foreign adversaries of goods and technologies capable of supporting
undersea cables, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Undersea Cable Control Act''.
SEC. 2. STRATEGY TO ELIMINATE THE AVAILABILITY TO FOREIGN ADVERSARIES
OF ITEMS REQUIRED FOR SUPPORTING UNDERSEA CABLES.
(a) In General.--The President, acting through the Secretary of
Commerce and in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall develop
a strategy to eliminate the availability to foreign adversaries of
items required for supporting undersea cables consistent with United
States policy described in section 1752 of the Export Control Reform
Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4811).
(b) Matters To Be Included.--The strategy required under subsection
(a) shall include the following:
(1) An identification of items required for supporting the
construction, maintenance, or operation of an undersea cable
project.
(2) An identification of United States and multilateral
export controls and licensing policies for items identified
pursuant to paragraph (1) with respect to foreign adversaries.
(3) An identification of United States allies and partners
that have a share of the global market with respect to the
items so identified, including a detailed description of the
availability of such items without restriction in sufficient
quantities and comparable in quality to those produced in the
United States.
(4) A description of ongoing negotiations with other
countries to achieve unified export controls and licensing
policies for items so identified to eliminate availability to
foreign adversaries.
(5) To the extent practicable, an identification of all
identified entities under the control, ownership, or influence
of a foreign adversary that support the construction,
operation, or maintenance of undersea cables.
(6) A description of efforts taken to promote United States
leadership at international standards-setting bodies for
equipment, systems, software, and virtually defined networks
relevant to undersea cables, taking into account the different
processes followed by such bodies.
(7) A description of the presence and activities of foreign
adversaries at international standards-setting bodies relevant
to undersea cables, including information on the differences in
the scope and scale of the engagement of foreign adversaries at
such bodies compared to engagement at such bodies by the United
States and its allies and partners, and the security risks
raised by the proposals of foreign adversaries at such bodies.
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter for 3 years,
the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a report that contains the strategy required under
subsection (a).
(2) Form.--Each report required under this subsection
shall--
(A) be submitted in unclassified form, but may
contain a classified annex; and
(B) be made available on a publicly accessible
Federal Government website.
(d) Agreement.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the President shall seek to--
(A) establish bilateral or multilateral agreements
with allies and partners identified pursuant to
subsection (b)(3) to seek to eliminate the availability
to foreign adversaries of items identified pursuant to
subsection (b)(1); and
(B) include in such agreements penalty provisions
for noncompliance.
(2) Briefings.--The President shall brief the congressional
committees specified in subsection (c)(1) on negotiations to
establish agreements described in paragraph (1) beginning not
later than 30 days after receipt of the report required under
subsection (a) and every 180 days thereafter until each such
agreement is established.
(e) Actions.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Commerce shall evaluate
the export, reexport, and in-country transfer of the items
identified pursuant to subsection (b)(1) for appropriate
controls under the Export Administration Regulations, including
by evaluating, for each item so identified, whether to add the
technology to the Commerce Control List maintained under title
15, Code of Federal Regulations.
(2) Levels of control.--
(A) In general.--In determining the level of
control appropriate for items identified pursuant to
subsection (b)(1), including requirements for a license
or other authorization for the export, reexport, or in-
country transfer of any such technology, the Secretary
of Commerce (in coordination with the Secretary of
Defense, the Secretary of State, and the heads of other
Federal agencies, as appropriate) shall take into
account the potential end uses and end users of the
item.
(B) Statement of policy.--At a minimum, it is the
policy of the United States to work with its allies and
partners to control the export, reexport, or in-country
transfer of technologies identified pursuant to
subsection (b)(1) to or in a country subject to an
embargo, including an arms embargo, imposed by the
United States.
(3) Notification.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 3 years, the
President, acting through the Secretary of Commerce, shall
submit to the appropriate congressional committees an
unclassified notification describing the results of actions
taken pursuant to this subsection in the preceding period,
including a description of--
(A) the individual items evaluated for controls;
and
(B) the rationale, including United States national
security and foreign policy considerations, for adding
or not adding an item to the Commerce Control List
maintained under title 15, Code of Federal Regulations,
pursuant to the evaluation under paragraph (1) with
respect to such item.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban
Affairs of the Senate.
(2) Foreign adversary.--The term ``foreign adversary'' has
the meaning given such term in section 8(c) of the Secure and
Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C.
1607(c)).
(3) Item.--The term ``item'' has the meaning given such
term in the Export Administration Regulations (15 C.F.R.
772.1).
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