Why the Trump administration plans to boost funding for subsea cables
Summary
Marketplace Tech explores the geopolitical battle for control over undersea data cables, which carry nearly all global internet traffic. Host Megan McCarty Carino interviews Erin Murphy of Redpoint Advisors about the Trump administration’s $175 million plan to replace cables in the Caribbean and Central America to counter Chinese influence. The discussion covers the shift from public consortia to hyperscaler ownership, national security risks, and the vulnerability of these critical infrastructure assets to sabotage and accidental damage.
Topics discussed
Sponsor: Capital One Commercial Bank
Introduction: Geopolitics of undersea data cables
Who builds and owns subsea cables: Hyperscalers
US government partnership and national security
Sponsors: Raymond James and Optum
Physical threats: Sabotage vs accidental cuts
Impact of sabotage and traffic diversion
Network resilience through diversification
US strategy in Caribbean and countering China
Outro and Marketplace listener survey
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