The UK government published a white paper on Oct 22 to replace the Submarine Telegraph Act 1885 for critical undersea infrastructure: telecom cables (about 99% of the UK's international data traffic), power interconnectors and pipelines.

• Penalties: up to 14 years for intentional damage, 10 for reckless and two for grossly negligent conduct, with unlimited fines; the government is considering higher maximums for the worst cases.
• New duties: statutory security and resilience requirements for subsea telecom operators, a national-security direction power over cable and repair providers, and rules for fiber-optic sensing technology.
• It is an open consultation, so details may change.