Pfluger, Menendez Propose Undersea Cable Security Law

Publication Staff, Office of U.S. Representative August Pfluger
October 1, 2026

Representative August Pfluger introduced bipartisan legislation on October 1, 2026, to establish standardized security requirements for submarine cables landing in the United States. Co-led by Representative Rob Menendez, the United States Submarine Cable Security Policy Act of 2026 would also streamline licensing for trusted companies, according to the announcement from Pfluger's office.

The proposal would replace case-by-case security agreements with transparent, predictable rules. The congressional release presents that change as a way to strengthen defenses against foreign threats while reducing regulatory uncertainty for businesses. Its stated approach combines security requirements for U.S. cable landings with a clearer licensing framework for companies considered trusted.

Pfluger said the rules would keep bad actors out of critical infrastructure. Menendez described the proposal as creating a clearer permitting process and giving responsible projects greater certainty, while ensuring that cables presenting potential national-security risks receive scrutiny. Their explanations frame the bill around both infrastructure protection and the regulatory treatment of cable projects.

The release says more than 95 percent of international data flows through undersea cables. That figure, attributed to the congressional announcement, underlines the importance the sponsors place on cable security. The measure's focus is submarine cables landing in the United States, with standardized requirements proposed as the mechanism for addressing foreign threats to that infrastructure.

For the cable industry, the central commercial element is the proposed move away from case-by-case security agreements toward more predictable rules. The sponsors identify reduced regulatory uncertainty and a clearer permitting process as intended benefits. Those are goals of the legislation, not confirmed outcomes: the announcement describes what the measure would do, rather than requirements already in force.

The confirmed current status is introduction in the House on October 1, 2026. The public release does not provide a bill number, committee referral, hearing date, vote date or enactment timetable. There is therefore no confirmed next legislative date to report, and the proposal should not be described as enacted law or an implemented licensing regime.

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