FCC votes to toughen rules in bid to better protect undersea cables

The FCC voted to strengthen oversight of undersea submarine cables by requiring licensing for submarine line terminal equipment (SLTE), speeding approvals for compliant U.S.-headquartered firms, and banning equipment from Chinese or other designated foreign-adversary countries; the move aims to protect sensitive data and communications from cyber and physical threats, citing prior incidents such as the Salt Typhoon hacks and reported Russian activity near undersea infrastructure.