HR1737-119

Passed House

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to submit to Congress a report containing an assessment of the value, cost, and feasibility of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable connecting the contiguous United States, the United States Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria.

119th Congress Introduced Jun 24, 2025

Legislative Progress

Passed House
Introduced Committee Passed
Jun 24, 2025

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, …

Jun 24, 2025 (inferred)

Passed House (inferred from eh version)

Jun 12, 2025

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the …

Feb 27, 2025

Ms. Plaskett (for herself and Mr. Fulcher) introduced the following …

Summary

What This Bill Does

Requires Commerce Secretary to report within 1 year on the value, cost, and feasibility of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable connecting the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria for national security purposes.

Who Benefits and How

USVI gains potential improved connectivity. U.S.-Africa digital connections enhanced. National security assessed.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Commerce must conduct study and report to Congress within 1 year.

Key Provisions

  • Assessment of value, cost, and feasibility
  • Focus on national security enhancement
  • USVI current cable lifespan assessment
  • Ghana and Nigeria connections
  • Report to Energy and Commerce committees
Model: claude-opus-4
Generated: Jan 9, 2026 18:19

Evidence Chain:

This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.

Primary Purpose

Requires study on trans-Atlantic fiber optic cable to USVI, Ghana, and Nigeria

Policy Domains

Telecommunications National Security Africa U.S. Territories

Legislative Strategy

"Assess strategic telecom infrastructure investment"

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Telecommunications National Security Africa
Actor Mappings
"the_secretary"
→ Secretary of Commerce

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology