FCC Bureau OKs 2 Trans-Pacific Undersea Cable Systems Linking US, Asia

The FCC International Bureau approved two trans-Pacific undersea cable systems connecting the U.S. and Asian nations. Applications for submarine cable landing licenses were granted to the fiber systems in two bureau public notices (here, here) listed Friday in the agency's electronic documents management system. Both applications were coordinated with the State Department and other executive branch agencies, said the PNs. They said the New Cross-Pacific (NCP) system will connect the continental U.S., China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, and the Southeast Asia-US (SEA-US) system will connect the continental U.S., Indonesia, Philippines, Guam and Hawaii. NCP received some letters of support and SEA-US was unopposed, the PNs said. "As the infrastructure of the Internet, these systems will provide critical connectivity between the United States and the Asia-Pacific region," said an email from attorney Kent Bressie of Harris Wiltshire, which worked on the applications. He said Harris Wiltshire jointly represented (1) Microsoft, China Mobile International, China Telecom, China Unicom, Chunghwa Telecom and KT Corp. on NCP, and (2) Globe Telecom (Philippines), GTA (Guam), GTI Corp. (U.S.), Hawaiian Telcom, RAM Telecom International (U.S.), Telin (Indonesia) and Telkom USA on SEA-US.