The US Department of Justice has approved Google’s request to use part of an undersea cable connecting the US and Asia. Google agreed to operate a portion of the 8,000-mile Pacific Light Cable Network System between the US and Taiwan, avoiding the leg of the system extending to Hong Kong.
Google and Facebook helped pay for construction of the now completed system, along with a Chinese investor, but US regulators have blocked its use due to security concerns.
The DoJ granted a six-month authorisation for using the cable after Google emphasized "an immediate need to meet internal demand for capacity between the US and Taiwan" and that without the requested temporary authority, it would likely have to seek alternative capacity at "significantly higher prices".
After discussions with Google representatives, the DoJ concluded that the obligations undertaken by Google would be sufficient to preserve their abilities to enforce the law and protect national security. Under the terms of the security agreement, Google has agreed to a range of operational requirements, notice obligations, access and security guarantees, as well as auditing and reporting duties, among others.
The company also committed to pursuing "diversification of interconnection points in Asia,” as well as to establish network facilities that deliver traffic as close as practicable to its ultimate destination. This reflects the views of the US government that a direct cable connection between the US and Hong Kong "would pose an unacceptable risk to the national security and law enforcement interests of the United States", the DoJ said.
