To direct the Secretary of Commerce to submit to Congress a report containing an assessment of the value, cost, and feasibility of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable connecting the contiguous United States, the United States Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria.

This bill orders the Department of Commerce, through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, to deliver a public report on the idea of building a new undersea internet cable linking the mainland United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria. The report must look at security, costs, benefits, and whether the project is doable. It also has to consider creating a secure data center with its own power in the U.S. Virgin Islands for certain U.S. military and national security communications, including for U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Special Operations Command .

The report is due within one year. It must be unclassified and public, though a classified section may be added. The Commerce Department cannot force companies to hand over data for this study. The report must also review the current state and security of existing cables and telecom links with the U.S. Virgin Islands, how ready local infrastructure is, the lifespan of current cables, and the potential economic and geopolitical upsides of working with trusted partners on such a project.

Key points

• Who is involved: Department of Commerce/NTIA; areas studied include the contiguous U.S., the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria .
• What changes now: No immediate build-out—this is a study and report. Topics include security, costs, feasibility, current cable conditions, infrastructure readiness, partner options, and possible economic benefits. It also examines a secure data center in the U.S. Virgin Islands for national security uses.
• When: Report due within one year after the law takes effect; it will be public, with an optional classified annex. No mandatory data collection from companies.