Bipartisan legislation to try to reduce the Iranian regime’s control over the internet in that country has been introduced in both houses of Congress.
The Feasibility Review of Emerging Equipment for Digital Open Media (FREEDOM) Act would require the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury and the Federal Communications Commission to study new direct-to-cell technology that would let cell phones connect directly to satellites.
If it works, the new technology would give Iranians a way to bypass government censorship and control of the internet.
“Authoritarian regimes increasingly rely on internet blackouts and surveillance to silence dissent and control information,” stated Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), a lead sponsor of legislation.
“The Iranian people continue to risk their lives for basic freedoms, yet the regime is cutting them off from the outside world,” she said. “Emerging direct-to-cell satellite technology may offer a new lifeline: secure, independent communication channels that cannot easily be censored or shut down.”
A report required by Congress in the current defense policy bill instructed the State Department to identify ways to advance internet freedom in Iran, but did not evaluate the direct-to-cell technology fully.
“Too often, I hear from constituents who are unable to communicate with their loved ones in Iran because of Ali Khamenei’s repressive internet blackouts,” stated Rep. Dave Min (D-Calif.), the lead Democratic sponsor of the bill.
Min, whose district includes a large number of Iranian Americans, added that the bill “will promote internet freedom in Iran, better connecting families around the globe while standing up against authoritarianism.”
