Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025

This bill, called the Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025, aims to make it simpler to install and take care of undersea fiber‑optic cables that run through national marine sanctuaries. If a state or federal agency has already given a license or permit for the work, the sanctuary agency could not block it or ask for an extra permit. This covers installing cables, keeping them in place, operating them, fixing them, or removing them. The bill also says existing rules for how agencies coordinate with each other still apply.

It also removes some restrictions tied to “special use permits” for activities in sanctuaries, which could further cut down on extra steps for certain projects.

Key points

• Who is affected: Companies that install and maintain undersea fiber‑optic cables; agencies that manage national marine sanctuaries.
• What changes: No extra sanctuary permit can be required if another state or federal permit is already in place for the cable work; some limits on special use permits are removed.
• What stays the same: Existing interagency cooperation rules remain in place for actions that could affect sanctuary resources.