Streamlining Undersea Cable Permitting: Telecom Expert Testimony

The Undersea Cable Permitting Process

• Cable permitting involves a complex, multi-agency process at the municipal, state, and federal levels.
• The federal process typically starts with the FCC, which refers applications to Team Telecom, an interagency group led by DOJ, including DHS and DoD.

Challenges in Permitting

• ⚠️ The government's focus on cable security leads to a complicated interagency review with duplicative requirements.
• ⏱️ Agencies can stop the clock on permits to ask more questions, significantly extending timelines from 100 days to potentially years, injecting economic risk.
• 🔒 National Security Agreements (NSAs) are secret, preventing knowledge sharing between cable operators and creating confusion.

Proposed Solutions for Streamlining

• 🎯 A coordinating agency like DHS could help expedite the interagency process by recognizing the urgency of building more secure cables.
• 📜 The industry hopes for a more coherent national strategy, contrasting with current