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S. 2873: Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025

119th Congress · introduced 2025-09-18 · Transportation and Public Works · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

federal

What does this mean?

Official title

Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025

Plain summary

Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025 This bill prohibits the Department of Commerce from enforcing certain permit requirements for activities related to undersea fiber optic cables in national marine sanctuaries. Specifically, Commerce may not prohibit or require an authorization for any covered activities related to undersea fiber optic cables if a license, lease, or permit has been issued by a state or federal agency to authorize the covered activity. Covered activities are the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary. The bill also authorizes Commerce to direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to engage in interagency cooperation regarding federal agency actions that are likely to destroy, cause the loss of, or injure a resource in a national marine sanctuary and involve covered activities.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] · 1 cosponsors

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Words on this page, explained (1)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong119-s2873 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-03 by psicol fed-bills