Streamlined Procedures for Executive Branch Review of Submarine Cable Landing License Requests

Ambassador Alan P. Larson, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs, has approved new, streamlined procedures for the Department of State's review of applications submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for submarine cable landing licenses.  Such a review is called for under the 1921 Cable Landing License Act and Executive Order 10530.  The Department of State has authorized the FCC to grant or revoke all submarine cable landing license applications, provided that the FCC has notified in writing the United States Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy of each such license application, and "that no objections are raised by the Department within 30 days after such notification."   The Department will continue to coordinate views on individual applications with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the Department of Commerce and the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) of the Department of Defense. 

These new review procedures are intended to accomplish several policy goals, among which are to help U.S. companies remain competitive in the important telecommunications market without jeopardizing national security, and to facilitate more efficient use of resources by the Executive Branch and the FCC.  "We are extremely pleased that we were able to respond to the needs of the telecommunications industry, while protecting our national interests, by using innovative methods to streamline our review of submarine cable landing license applications," said David A. Gross, U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy (and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Department's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs).  "These changes reflect the Administration's ability to work together to promote competition in this important marketplace by making the government regulatory process for submarine cables more efficient," added Mr. Gross.  He also applauded the work of Assistant Secretary Nancy Victory and her team at NTIA, together with colleagues at the FCC and DOD, who were instrumental in finding a creative solution to this challenge.  "This is a win-win-win for government, industry, and consumers."

"Streamlining this process makes it less costly to deploy submarine cables, which benefits U.S. consumers," said Nancy J. Victory, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.  "As a global leader in competitiveness, we're always on the lookout for ways to eliminate unnecessary regulatory burdens on the telecommunications markets."