Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025

The Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025 amends the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to ensure that, if a Federal or State agency has already issued a license, lease, or permit for installing or operating an undersea fiber optic cable inside a national marine sanctuary, the Department of Commerce (acting through the National Marine Sanctuary program) may not prohibit those activities or require additional permits. In essence, it prevents duplicative permitting for cables that have already been authorized elsewhere. The bill also modifies sanctuary permit provisions to remove certain restrictions related to activities covered by sanctuary special-use permits, and it preserves interagency coordination requirements. The overall aim is to reduce regulatory friction and potential delays for critical undersea cable projects while maintaining existing collaboration processes among agencies.