Ensuring the Resiliency of Our Communications Infrastructure

I'm circulating a proposal to my colleagues that would enhance the security and reliability of undersea cable, a key piece of the Internet's physical infrastructure. The Federal Communications Commission needs to get timely information about submarine cable outages, with enough detail to understand the nature and impact of any damage and disruption to communications, help mitigate any impact on emergency services and consumers, and assist in service restoration. More consistent reporting on submarine cable outages will improve the FCC's ability to spot trends, address systemic issues, and inform policy making.

At September's open meeting, the Commission will consider a draft notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that proposes to require submarine cable licensees to report significant outages in appropriate detail through the FCC's Network Outage Reporting System (NORS), where other communications providers already report outages. Modern communications networks are increasingly interconnected. The failure of a single cable can have a ripple effect on multiple networks. Better reporting about the status of undersea cables will help us better anticipate and prevent disruptions to service.