Multiple United States Congress representatives put forth a new bill aimed at assessing and increasing internet access for people in Iran living under the oppressive Iranian regime, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) announced on Thursday.
The Feasibility Review of Emerging Equipment for Digital Open Media (FREEDOM) Act, if passed, would require US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the Department of the Treasury (USDT) to investigate the possibility of implementing new technology to improve uncensored, secure internet access to Iranians.
“Authoritarian regimes increasingly rely on internet blackouts and surveillance to silence dissent and control information,” Congresswoman Tenney stated. “The FREEDOM Act ensures the US government fully evaluates these fast-moving capabilities so we can strengthen America’s digital diplomacy, support free expression, and expand access to information in places where it is most at risk.”
She emphasized the importance of evaluating “direct-to-cell satellite technology,” described as “an emerging tool that could allow smartphones to connect directly to satellites and bypass the Iranian regime’s censorship and government-controlled networks.”
“Emerging direct-to-cell satellite technology may offer a new lifeline,” Congresswoman Tenney explained. That lifeline would be “secure, independent communication channels that cannot easily be censored or shut down.”
The investigation would also analyze “drone-based platforms, signal jamming technologies, and related counter measures could impact the feasibility, security, economics, and resilience of such direct-to-cell wireless communications.”
Rubio, the FCC, and the USDT would have up to 120 days after the bill is passed to prepare a report and submit it to the Senate and the House Committees on Foreign Affairs.
Congressman Dave Min (CA-47), who introduced the bill along with Tenny, shared that he is “proud to represent one of the largest Iranian American constituencies in the country,” elaborating that the bill will “promote internet freedom in Iran, better connecting families around the globe while standing up against authoritarianism.”
Iran's 'class-based internet'
A recent update to the social media platform X highlighted issues related to the Iranian regime's restrictions on internet access. The update displayed the country or region where a user was located.
The update revealed that many Iranian public-facing figures, politicians, and influencers were connected to X, which is officially blocked by the Iranian regime, and only accessible through difficult-to-obtain uncensored SIM cards, dubbed the “white internet.”
X could also be accessed via a virtual private network (VPN), which would display the user’s VPN server location. Both uncensored SIM cards and VPNs are not widely available to most people living in Iran, creating a “class-based internet” in which only privileged individuals can access unrestricted, uncensored, and globally available internet platforms.