As of December 2019, there are 74 FCC licensed submarine cable systems in the US, and 12 pending new submarine cable landing license or renewal applications. The FCC needs to coordinate with other Executive Branch agencies (such as Team Telecom) applications where a foreign citizen or foreign-organized entity, including foreign government, would hold a 10 percent or greater direct or indirect equity or voting interest in the licensee.

According to the FCC, Team Telecom represents a working group of representatives from the Federal government entities charged with ensuring national security: the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, Justice, State, Treasury, and Commerce, as well as USTR and the FBI). 

Among the pending applications, the longest one is the application for new submarine cable landing license for PLCN, which has been taking for more than two years since November 1, 2017, and is still under reviewing by the FCC and Team Telecom. 

Google is PLCN's landing party in the US. And PLCN cable system is supplied SubCom. 

The FCC have granted Special Temporary Authorities (STAs) to carry out certain engineering works for PLCN in the territory of the US.

According to the FCC, STAs are granted with a fixed expiration date, usually six months, or for the term necessary to cover a special event, etc. STAs do not have grace periods and are valid only through their expiration date. The FCC may grant extensions of an STA for a period of 180 days, but the applicant must show that extraordinary circumstances warrant such an extension.

Pending Applications For Submarine Cable Landing License (December 2019)

Update (April 2021)

Pending Applications For Submarine Cable Landing License (April 2021)

Compared with the pending list in December 2019, major progresses include:

• JUPITER, JGA North, JGA South, Dunant and Southern Cross NEXT cable systems were granted licenses in 2020, and the first four system have been in-service. In additional, the FCC also granted license for the Amitié cable system in 2020.
• HKA and HK-G consortia have withdrawn applications for the FCC license, withouth further filing yet.
• PLCN joint builders withdrew the original application. Meanwhile, Google and Facebook refiled a new application for PLCN US-Taiwan and US-Philippine connections, without US-Hong Kong connections.
• BtoBE joint builders withdrew application. The system was reconfigured as CAP-1 connecting the US to the Philippines, without connections to Hong Kong. New application for CAP-1 was filed by the same joint builders of BtoBE. 
• Google newly filed application for the Grace Hopper cable system.

Updated on April 25, 2021