---
kind: "diff"
citation: "H.R. 261"
bill: "119-hr-261"
heading: "Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025"
from: "ih"
from_label: "Introduced in House"
to: "rh"
to_label: "Reported in House"
sections_amended: 1
sections_added: 1
sections_removed: 0
url: "https://uscodex.org/bills/119/hr/261/changes/rh"
---

# H.R. 261 — what changed

H.R. 261, Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025 — 1 section amended and 1 added between Introduced in House and Reported in House.

Edits are marked `<del>struck</del>` and `<ins>inserted</ins>`.

## Sec. 2 Prohibition on prohibiting, or requiring permits or other authorizations for, undersea fiber optic cables authorized by a Federal or State agency

- The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 310 the following:
- “310A. Prohibition on <ins>prohibiting, or </ins>requiring <ins>permits or other </ins>authorizations <del>for </del><ins>for, </ins>undersea fiber optic cables <del>previously </del>authorized by <ins>a </ins>Federal or State <del>agencies</del><ins>agency</ins>
- “(a) In general—Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Secretary may not <del>prohibit </del><ins>prohibit, </ins>or require any <ins>permit, including any special use permit, or other </ins>authorization <del>for </del><ins>for, </ins>the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary if a license, lease, or permit has been issued by a Federal or State <del>agency </del><ins>agency, and is in effect, </ins>authorizing such installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery.
- “(b) Interagency <del>cooperation—The Secretary may direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to engage </del><ins>cooperation—Nothing </ins>in <ins>this section shall be construed as altering existing requirements regarding </ins>interagency cooperation under section 304(d) in any Federal agency action described in that section and involving the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary.”

## Sec. 3 Removing restrictions on activities covered by sanctuary special use permits — added

- <ins>Section 310(c) of National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1441(c)) is amended—</ins>
- (1) <ins>in paragraph (1), by adding “and” at the end;</ins>
- (2) <ins>by striking paragraphs (2) and (3); and</ins>
- (3) <ins>by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (2).</ins>