# 119-s-2873: Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025

119-s-2873, Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2873
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2873
- Congress: 119
- Title: Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-18
- Sponsor: Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Protects undersea fiber optic cable projects that already have federal or state permits from being stopped or forced to get extra sanctuary permissions.** This bill would bar the Secretary from prohibiting or demanding any additional authorization for installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables when a federal or state license, lease, or permit already authorizes those activities. - Cable operators and contractors would get clearer legal certainty for projects that cross national marine sanctuaries, lowering the risk of new sanctuary-level permit hurdles. - Holders of existing federal or state licenses would not need to seek separate sanctuary approvals for the same cable activities. - NOAA and sanctuary managers would be authorized to carry out interagency cooperation under section 304(d) when related federal actions involve those cable activities. - The bill does not create new funding, programs, phase-ins, sunsets, or eligibility rules.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO), 2025-10-01T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- No extra permits for undersea cables: benefit, low. This bill would stop national marine sanctuary managers from banning or requiring extra permits for undersea fiber optic cables when a federal or state license, lease, or permit already allows the same work. It would cover installation, presence, operation, maintenance, repair, and recovery of cabl…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-2010: TERMS Act
- 119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act

## Sources
- [119-s-2873 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2873)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4952)
- [119-s-2010: TERMS Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2010)
- [119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-292)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2873 (as of 2026-09-10).