Governments around the globe are asking vital questions on nationwide safety and submarine cables, searching for to guard this vital infrastructure and mitigate threat.
Within the minds of many, threats from unhealthy actors are a high concern, even supposing the overwhelming majority of cable faults are attributable to accidents from fishing and anchor drags.
On November 20, 2025, members of the U.S. Home Committee on Homeland Safety convened a listening to to debate international adversary threats to subsea cable infrastructure. TeleGeography’s Chief Analysis Officer Tim Stronge testified at this joint listening to for the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Safety and the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety.
Watch Tim’s congressional testimony beneath and learn the report he submitted to Congress.
Opening Assertion of Tim Stronge, Chief Analysis Officer, TeleGeography
Chairmen, Rating Members, and distinguished members of the committee. Thanks for the chance to talk with you as we speak.
My identify is Tim Stronge, and I’m the Chief Analysis Officer at TeleGeography. We offer the unbiased knowledge that the worldwide communications trade depends on to map and measure the web.
I’m right here as we speak to speak concerning the bodily spine of the trendy U.S. financial system: submarine fiber-optic cables. The strategic significance of this community boils down to a few traits: these cables are weak, they’re vital, and they’re irreplaceable.
First, vulnerability. I’ve introduced a cable pattern with me. Encased inside are skinny strands of glass, every concerning the width of a human hair.
If this seems to be fragile to you, that’s as a result of it’s. Particular person cables are particularly weak to break from fishing gear and anchor drags. The worldwide community experiences roughly 200 faults yearly—a mean of 4 per week.
Second, criticality. My son Kaz is away in school in Connecticut. One among our favourite methods to remain linked is to share humorous movies. Fiber-optic networks make that attainable. Maybe you already lay awake at evening, worrying about how we should shield our nation’s strategic reserve of cat movies. However even when not, it’s necessary to know that cables carry way over social media and internet content material.
They’re the spine of worldwide finance. Greater than $12 trillion in monetary transactions circulation over these cables every day. Tens of millions of American jobs now rely on entry to digital infrastructure. The U.S. authorities, itself, is closely reliant on industrial submarine cables.
Third, irreplaceability. A standard false impression is that satellites are a viable one-for-one substitute. They don’t seem to be. Satellites are a significant emergency backup for mission-essential use, however they can not change the sheer capability and cost-efficiency of fiber. Cables carry over 99% of all intercontinental knowledge for a easy motive: the cost-per-unit of cable capability is 2,800 instances cheaper than satellites.
Collectively, these three circumstances—bodily vulnerability, excessive criticality and irreplaceability—may appear to be a scary combine.
However I’m right here as we speak with excellent news. For a cable operator, the lack of income streams throughout downtime is financially catastrophic. That signifies that these personal corporations are already powerfully self-incentivized to safe their cables.
Let’s return to that vulnerability. The overwhelming majority of these 200 annual faults are accidents. This fixed risk has compelled the personal sector to speculate billions of {dollars} in a tangible, layered protection.
Corporations have constructed dozens of recent cables and geographically numerous touchdown stations to make sure knowledge at all times has a backup path. Cable operators are innovating with new detection know-how that makes use of the fiber itself to sense threats. And so they have funded a world fleet of two dozen restore vessels on 24/7 standby.
Crucially, the methods constructed to defend in opposition to routine accidents may also assist to safe the community in opposition to malicious assaults.
Nonetheless, there are vital gaps the place authorities motion is required:
- First, designate a single level of contact for cables. We want one federal lead with a twin mandate: to shepherd new cable initiatives via the allowing maze, and to construct a coherent nationwide technique for resilience.
- Second, strengthen deterrence. Present penalties for injury to cables date again to an 1884 treaty on telegraph cables and are woefully—nearly comically—inadequate.
- Third, assist fast-track cable restore overseas. The worldwide common delay to start a restore is now a month and a half. A lot of that is because of advanced allowing in international waters. We want a diplomatic push to chop the international crimson tape protecting restore ships in port.
The trade has already demonstrated its deep dedication to cable safety. It seems to be to authorities as a companion to assist clear the trail.
Thanks, and I sit up for your questions.
