The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has introduced rules it claims will speed up subsea infrastructure rollouts, with cable applications review times set to be slashed, while tougher scrutiny will be placed on non-U.S. suppliers.

The rule changes introduce exemptions for licensing reviews by ‘Team Telecom’ – more formally, the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Services Sector, the interagency group that examines prospective connectivity infrastructure projects, such as applications for submarine cable buildouts.

The FCC said omitting applications from certain reviews would speed up cable rollouts to boost capacity to meet increasing compute demands and connectivity for AI.

Chairman Brendan Carr said accelerating cable construction would enable “faster and more resilient Internet services for Americans, especially as AI fuels ever greater connectivity demands, and it will also enable our businesses to sell additional services abroad.”

The rules updates would also make it harder for Chinese companies to supply equipment for cable projects, marking the agency’s latest clampdown against vendors from the region.

Submarine line terminal equipment (SLTE) suppliers and operators are set to be subject to licensing requirements for subsea cables that connect U.S. terrestrial facilities. The FCC said the requirement would provide it with oversight into potential vulnerabilities.

Operators would be forced to increase cable security, including updating safeguards that address vulnerabilities related to principal equipment, third-party service providers, and “other areas of concern.”

“The rules we adopt today strike the right balance,” Chairman Carr added. “We presumptively exempt cable applications from extensive and time-consuming reviews, but only if such applicants can certify to stringent security standards and agree to ongoing oversight and monitoring. The message is simple: adopt strong national security standards, and get a glide path to application approval.”

The rule changes mark the latest in the agency’s efforts to shore up cable infrastructure. Last August, it introduced directives aimed squarely at countering Chinese vendors, barring U.S. companies from using related equipment.

The agency also introduced a presumption of denial for license applications affiliated with certain foreign adversaries, a ban on equipment subject to its “Covered List,” and restrictions on capacity-leasing agreements with related entities.

The Carr-led administration’s counter-China efforts also include taking on so-called “bad labs,” network equipment suppliers supplying false test results, and banning all routers containing foreign-produced parts. Also barred are overseas-produced consumer-grade LTE/5G customer premises equipment (CPE) and Wi-Fi hotspot devices.

The agency is also taking action in the telecom sector in a bid to prevent another Salt Typhoon-type incident. Among its efforts here are closing loopholes that could have allowed Covered List entities like Huawei and ZTE to provide domestic interstate telecom services.