HR 261
Passed a chamber
Bars the Commerce Department from prohibiting or requiring its own permit for undersea fiber optic cables in national marine sanctuaries when a federal or state agency has already authorized them.
Official title: Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025
Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions
House
Introduced
09-JAN-2025
Referred
09-JAN-2025
Approved by committee
25-JUN-2025
Reported
02-JUL-2025
On the calendar
02-JUL-2025
Passed
11-FEB-2026
Senate
Received
12-FEB-2026
- Prohibits the Secretary of Commerce from banning, or requiring a permit or other authorization for, installing, operating, maintaining, repairing, or recovering undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary when a federal or state license, lease, or permit authorizes the activity and is in effect
- States that the new section does not change existing interagency cooperation requirements under section 304(d) for federal agency actions involving such cables
- Removes two existing restrictions on activities covered by sanctuary special use permits by striking paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 310(c) of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and renumbering paragraph (4)
- Is cited as the Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025
Covers an older version. The newest CRS summary describes the bill as of "Introduced in House" (09-JAN-2025); the text has changed since (Engrossed in House, 11-FEB-2026).
CRS is the Library of Congress's nonpartisan research office. Read it on congress.gov- Natural Resources Committee (House)
- Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee
- Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee (Senate)
Public Lands and Natural Resources
■ 7 R
7 Republicans