A bipartisan bill cosponsored on Feb. 4 by U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) would expand internet freedom and access to information for the Iranian people.
“There is nothing dictators fear more than an educated and connected people,” Rep. Salazar said. “That is why the Ayatollah’s regime always moves first to shut down the internet — to silence the Iranian people’s cry for freedom.”
The Internet Reach and Access Now (IRAN) Act, H.R. 7380, which is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and four fellow cosponsors including U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK), would require the U.S. Secretary of State to implement and regularly update a comprehensive strategy to promote internet freedom in Iran, coordinating across federal agencies.
“The IRAN Act creates a permanent strategy to keep Iranians connected, expand access to VPNs and satellite internet, and push back against regime censorship,” said Rep. Salazar. “From Iran to Cuba, access to information is the first step toward breaking the chains of tyranny.”
H.R. 7380 also would require the U.S. State Department to update the Comprehensive Strategy to Promote Internet Freedom and Access to Information in Iran by adding new objectives to ensure the strategy reflects technologies used by Iranian civil society, such as evaluating the use of virtual private networks, satellite internet, and direct-to-cell satellite technologies by civil society and human rights activists in Iran, and developing strategies to increase access to these technologies.
Additionally, the bill would require all new or modified satellite or direct-to-cell internet licenses granted by the Federal Communications Commission to refrain from disabling or geo-blocking satellite or DTC coverage over the land territory of Iran, except where explicitly required by federal law or other applicable regulations, among other provisions.
“Oppressive regimes fall when the illusion of their power breaks, and the people of Iran are ready to break through,” said Rep. Swalwell. “Open internet access is a powerful tool for change and empowers the people to stand against the regime.”
The IRAN Act is endorsed by the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans, FDD Action, Lantern, Psiphon, and NetFreedom Pioneers.