*

FCC to vote on Nov. 21 for first major review since 2001

*

Bipartisan senators urge review of vulnerabilities,

including

threats from Russia and China

*

U.S. has blocked China from subsea contracts due to

espionage

concerns

(Adds more details of review, file photos)

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The Federal

Communications Commission said on Wednesday it will vote next

month to review its oversight of the global network of undersea

communications cables that handle nearly all the world's

internet traffic and national security issues.

FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said "over the past two

decades, the technology, economics, and security challenges

involving these systems have greatly changed, but FCC oversight

has not."

Rosenworcel added the FCC would vote on Nov. 21 to undertake

the first major comprehensive review of its submarine cable

rules since 2001. The FCC is considering updates to its rules to

address the national security impacts of undersea cables that

handle more than 95% of international internet traffic.

Last week, a bipartisan group of eight U.S. senators led by

Republican Todd Young and Democrat Chris Murphy called on

President Joe Biden's administration to undertake "a review of

existing vulnerabilities to global undersea cable

infrastructure, including the threat of sabotage by Russia as

well as the growing role of the People's Republic of China in

cable laying and repair."

The United States for years expressed concerns about China's

role in handling network traffic and potential for espionage.

More than 400 subsea cables form the backbone of the

internet, carrying more than 99% of the world's data traffic.

The senators said ensuring internet traffic security must be

a national priority and raised a number of questions including

what is the "administration's overall strategy to guarantee the

security of America's undersea infrastructure and to promote the

security of that of our allies and partners?"

Reuters reported last year the State Department and its

partners had helped to prevent China from obtaining new subsea

contracts in foreign places of U.S. strategic interest, while

other U.S. agencies had prevented any cable from directly

connecting U.S. territory with mainland China or Hong Kong over

Chinese espionage concerns.

Since 2020, U.S. regulators have been instrumental in

the cancellation of four cables whose backers had wanted to link

the United States with Hong Kong.

In April,

the FCC ordered the U.S. units of China Telecom

, China Unicom and China Mobile

to discontinue broadband internet operations in the

United States.

In June,

the FCC advanced a proposal to boost the security

of information transmitted across the internet after

government agencies said a Chinese carrier misrouted traffic.