New Subsea Cable Rules Are Really About Economic Protectionism: Critic
The FCC's new submarine cable rules, adopted earlier this month (see 2508070037), ostensibly are about national security but really carry a "distinct scent of economic opportunism," Satmarin Exoflux's Michael de Coninck wrote Tuesday. "The official pitch is simple: stop China, Russia, and other uninvited guests from sneaking into U.S.-connected infrastructure," the maritime connectivity expert said. But "the unofficial pitch" is giving U.S. firms an easier route to contracts "without having to suffer the indignity of competing with cheaper foreign bids."
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De Coninck said American-flagged repair ship operators "who were quietly fading into irrelevance are now about to be knighted as strategic assets," while approved equipment suppliers that weren't price competitive "will suddenly find themselves in the enviable position of winning by default."