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.
Latest action · Jun 24, 2025 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 27, 2025
- Passed HouseJun 23, 2025
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to submit a report to Congress that assesses the feasibility, value, cost, and security implications of a submarine fiber optic cable to connect the contiguous United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria. The report must include, among other topics, an assessment of the potential establishment of a data center and high-security cloud services facility in the U.S. Virgin Islands for certain national security communications.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Feb 27, 2025.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-ID | Russ Fulcher | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Feb 27, 2025Markup Mar 4, 2025Reported Jun 12, 2025 |
| Senate | Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | Referred Jun 24, 2025 |
Actions 12
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 24, 2025Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Jun 23, 2025Mr. Bilirakis moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jun 23, 2025Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2847-2848)
- Jun 23, 2025DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1737.
- Jun 23, 2025Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2847)
- Jun 23, 2025Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Jun 12, 2025Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-155.
- Jun 12, 2025Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 121.
- Mar 4, 2025Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- Mar 4, 2025Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- Feb 27, 2025Introduced in House
- Feb 27, 2025Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H2847, H2848Text printed H2847 | Frank Pallone, Jr. D-NJ, Gus M. Bilirakis R-FL, Stacey E. Plaskett D-VI | Jun 23, 2025 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Jun 20, 2025H.R. 1737, a bill 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 NigeriaAs ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on March 4, 2025
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 171, no. 39, February 27, 2025, page H920.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- 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.
- Official Title from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text
- 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.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 24, 2025Referred in Senate
- Jun 23, 2025Engrossed in House
- Jun 12, 2025Reported in House
- Feb 27, 2025Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
