This bill, titled the Internet Reach and Access Now Act, directs U.S. officials to improve coordination of efforts to promote internet freedom and access to information in Iran. The Secretary of State is named the lead official responsible for promoting internet freedom in Iran, coordinating federal efforts, and updating the strategy required by section 414 of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012. The bill amends that law to add specific tasks: evaluate VPNs and direct-to-cell satellite technologies, work with Treasury and Commerce so sanctions enforcement does not block civilian access to internet tools, and plan ways to circumvent full internet blackouts. The Secretary of State must review and update the strategy and submit the first updated strategy to designated congressional committees within 120 days of enactment.
The Federal Communications Commission must include, as a condition of new licenses or license changes issued after enactment, a requirement that licensees refrain from intentionally disabling, degrading, or geo-blocking satellite or direct-to-cell coverage over Iran, with limited exceptions for legal requirements, international coordination to prevent interference, or short network-security interruptions. The Secretary of State, with Commerce and the FCC, must oppose proposals at the International Telecommunication Union that single out Iran for geographic exclusion from satellite or direct-to-cell coverage. The Secretary of State must report annually for five years on these international actions and any instances where operators excluded Iran from coverage.
The bill requires the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor to establish programs within 180 days to provide cybersecurity training and vetted digital-safety tools (including VPNs and encrypted messaging apps) to journalists, human-rights defenders, and civil-society actors in Iran, and to provide multilingual materials warning about regime-controlled apps and phishing. The State Department must provide quarterly aggregate metrics to congressional committees, and the Comptroller General must evaluate program effectiveness within three years. The bill includes multiple saving clauses that say it does not authorize transactions prohibited by U.S. sanctions or export controls and does not limit presidential authority under IEEPA.
The bill authorizes $15,000,000 to the Secretary of State for fiscal year 2027 and $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2028 to carry out the cybersecurity training and access programs described in the bill. These amounts are to remain available until expended.
The bill's findings and "sense of Congress" state that proponents believe the Iranian government repeatedly disrupts internet service, and that tools such as satellite-based direct-to-cell communications, VPNs, and eSIMs can help people in Iran maintain access. Proponents view clarifying U.S. policy and supporting secure connectivity tools as a way to enhance internet resilience for the Iranian people, and they support requiring that sanctions enforcement not unintentionally hinder civilian access to these tools.
No publicly available information.