An investigation is underway after the CHamoru Land Trust Commission discovered unauthorized undersea cables running through Piti.

There are at least four of them spanning from Tepungan Reef Flat to Pedro Santos Park, according to the CLTC.

During a public hearing on Friday before lawmakers, CLTC acting Administrative Director Joey Cruz admitted they were unaware of the landings and only found out a few months ago when a Google representative asked to meet.

“We were surprised that the individual from Google had mentioned that they have a cable from Google called Echo that has been landed in Piti and will come up towards Santos Park. Of course we did question ‘when did you get your permits?’ but unfortunately we weren’t provided with any so we followed up with an email,” said Cruz.

As KUAM reported, earlier this year Google alongside the Governor announced the construction of two new undersea cables from Guam to Fiji and to French Polynesia.

It's unclear if this is the same project but Cruz said they have not received a permit application from Google.

The CLTC also identified tata communications as the other tech giant responsible for the alleged unauthorized landing of a cable called Tata TGN-Pacific.

“We sent them a letter inquiring and requesting for any permits or authorizations they may have in relation to the Piti landing site. We have not received any responses yet,” said Cruz.

Undersea fiber optic cables laid on the ocean floor around the world are responsible for nearly all transcontinental internet traffic, a lucrative market worth billions of dollars.

Guam is a growing hub for digital connectivity.

The 'Guam Undersea Access for Homes Act' passed last term, establishing a landing and licensing fees as a funding source for the land trust survey and infrastructure fund but with the allegedly unauthorized landings, the underwater network is not making the CLTC any money.

“Currently, CLTC does not have the mechanism to assess any back rent for commercial companies who are utilizing CLTC property without authorization,” he said.

Cruz asked lawmakers to open a dialogue on a fee structure for back rent so the CLTC gets ‘fair and just compensation.’