Subsea cable expert Fiona Beck, an adviser to the Bermuda Business Development Agency, says Bermuda has become a model for subsea cable investment by streamlining its permitting process to just 70 business days, as opposed to a year in most places.

Her expert opinion, penned in Broadband Breakfast, states that the future of computing will depend on the ongoing build-up of subsea cabling infrastructure. Jurisdictions seeking to take advantage of the massive opportunities, must come to grips with regulatory requirements.

She writes: “Protecting natural resources is important, and the jurisdiction of Bermuda has found a way to respect those protections, while paving the way for the economic opportunities that come from strategic collaboration and regulation with hyperscalers.”

Ms Beck is an adviser to Google on their Bermuda subsea cable strategy and is also an independent director on various investment, technology, and infrastructure boards and serves on audit/risk and people/remuneration committees of those publicly listed companies.

She said that there are difficulties in some regions where hyperscalers and cable landing sites must co-ordinate marine surveys, environmental assessments, international permits, financing and construction schedules that span multiple continents.

She said: “When obstacles come up during the permit process, with opaque, duplicative or unpredictable regulations, it can encourage those parties to bring their capital investments elsewhere.”

She said the problem is often regulatory clarity. But when jurisdictions streamline approvals without compromising environmental and other standards, they send a powerful signal that digital infrastructure is understood, valued and welcome.

Ms Beck said Bermuda provides a clear blueprint for what a cable-friendly regulatory environment can look like.

“The jurisdiction,” she said, “is emerging as a global cable powerhouse, already attracting massive installations from Google, with cables Nuvem and Sol already being put in place, with more potentially on the way.

“That has come through as a result of a friendly regulatory environment that has made it a favourable environment for investments and efficient implementation.”

Broadband Breakfast publishes commentary from informed observers of the broadband scene.