DA 26-785 Released: July 27, 2026 OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS PROVIDES FILING INSTRUCTIONS FOR NEW SUBMARINE CABLE RULES AND OTHER GUIDANCE OI Docket No. 24-523, MD Docket No. 24-524 On July 8, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) announced that the rules adopted in the Submarine Cable Landing License Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Submarine Cable First Report and Order and Further Notice)1 that did not go into effect on November 26, 2025, were now effective on July 8, 2026.2 These rules include one-time cybersecurity and physical security certification and a one-time FCC Covered List3 certification. The Commission’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provides filing instructions to comply with certain rules that went into effect on July 8, 2026 with upcoming deadlines. We anticipate releasing future Public Notices regarding the other new reporting requirements. One-Time Cybersecurity and Physical Security Certification (47 CFR § 1.70024). A licensee with a cable landing license granted before the effective date of these rules (July 8, 2026) must submit a certification to the Commission that it will implement a cybersecurity and physical security risk management plan consistent with the requirements of 47 CFR § 1.70006(c). This certification must be submitted by August 7, 2026.4 1 Review of Submarine Cable Landing License Rules and Procedures to Assess Evolving National Security, Law Enforcement, Foreign Policy, and Trade Policy Risks; Amendment of the Schedule of Application Fees Set Forth in Sections 1.1102 through 1.1109 of the Commission’s Rules, OI Docket No. 24-523, MD Docket No. 24-524, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 25-49 (rel. Aug. 13, 2025) (Submarine Cable Report and Order and Further Notice); corrected by Erratum, https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-414544A1.pdf (OIA and OMD, rel. Sep. 16, 2025); corrected by Second Erratum, https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC- 415107A1.pdf (OIA and OMD, rel. Oct. 24, 2025). 2 Federal Communications Commission, Review of Submarine Cable Landing License Rules and Procedures to Assess Evolving National Security, Law Enforcement, Foreign Policy, and Trade Policy Risks, Final Rule, Announcement of Effective Date, 91 Fed. Reg. 42137 (July 8, 2026) (to be codified at 47 CFR pts. 1 and 43) (Final Rule Effective Date Federal Register Summary). 3 The Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau maintains a list of equipment and services (Covered List) that have been determined to “pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons.” See Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, Pub. L. No. 116-124, 133 Stat. 158 (2020) (codified as amended at 47 U.S.C. §§ 1601-1609) (Secure Networks Act); 47 CFR §§ 1.50002, 1.50003; Federal Communications Commission, List of Equipment and Services Covered By Section 2 of The Secure Networks Act, https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist. 4 47 CFR § 1.70024(a)(2) (requiring submission of the certification within thirty (30) days of the effective date of the rules). Federal Communications Commission DA 26-785 One-Time Covered List Certification (47 CFR § 1.70023). Pursuant to section 1.70023 of the Commission’s rules, each submarine cable landing licensee must submit a certification that it will not add to its submarine cable system(s) under its respective license(s) equipment or services identified on the Covered List.5 This certification must be submitted by September 8, 2026.6 Filing Instructions for the One-Time Cybersecurity and Physical Security Certification (47 CFR § 1.70024) and One-Time Covered List Certification (47 CFR § 1.70023). • Each licensee should submit the required certification as a letter in the licensed submarine cable’s file number in the Commission’s International Communications Filing System (ICFS).7 • The letter should be submitted through the “Pleadings and Comments” tab in ICFS. • A separate certification must be submitted for each licensee. • A licensee(s) that holds licenses on multiple different submarine cable systems must file a separate certification for each licensed submarine cable system. Interim Guidance for Online Filings in ICFS. Submarine cable landing applicants and licensees will need to comply with the newly effective submarine cable rules.8 The Commission will incorporate the new requirements in the online submarine cable forms in ICFS in the future. The Commission will announce the transition to the new ICFS submarine cable online forms in future Public Notices. Until that time, filers submitting an application for an initial submarine cable license, modification, transfer of control, or assignment of a cable landing license, renewals, or extensions must submit the information required by the newly-effective rules as an attachment to the application in ICFS. Until the Commission incorporates the new requirements into the online submarine cable forms in ICFS, filers who need to make a filing pursuant to the new routine conditions9 must submit the information as a supplement in ICFS, filed under the “Pleadings and Comments” tab in the corresponding submarine cable system’s file number. Questions Regarding Submarine Cable Report and Order Filing Procedures. For questions regarding these reporting requirements and filing procedures, contact Desiree Hanssen, Office of International Affairs, at (202) 418-0887 or desiree.hanssen@fcc.gov. Questions Regarding ICFS. For questions regarding the Commission’s International Communications Filing System, contact the ICFS Help Line at ICFSInfo@fcc.gov or (202) 418-2222 for assistance. 5 A licensee that is identified on the Covered List whose cable landing license was or is granted prior to July 8, 2026, does not need to file this certification. 47 CFR § 1.70023. 6 47 CFR § 1.70023 (requiring submission of the certification within sixty (60) days of the effective date of the rules). 7 ICFS is available at https://www.fcc.gov/icfs. 8 Office of International Affairs Announces Effective Date of Submarine Cable License Rules, OI Docket No. 24- 523, MD Docket No. 24-524, Public Notice, DA 26-684, 2026 WL 2005988 at *1-2, (OIA July 8, 2026). 9 47 CFR §§ 1.70007(h), (q), (s)-(t). 2