US lawmakers introduce legislation to expand internet access for Iranian people

Experts have argued that increasing Iranian access to the internet could help in organizing protests and other activist efforts against the repressive regime in Tehran.

By Corey Walker, The Algemeiner

US lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation to expand the Iranian people’s access to uncensored internet, challenging the Islamic Republic’s efforts to suppress dissent and monitor communications amid its ongoing war against the United States.

The Internet Reach and Access Now (IRAN) Act, introduced by Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) on Thursday would strengthen the US government’s strategy for promoting internet freedom in Iran through improved interagency coordination, expanded cybersecurity support, and greater consideration of emerging communications technologies.

The legislation offers a nonmilitary approach to confronting a regime that has repeatedly restricted internet access during periods of political unrest.

Importantly, the initiative also highlights the distinction between Iran’s ruling establishment, which openly seeks Israel’s destruction and supports a network of US-designated terrorist groups, and ordinary Iranians seeking greater freedom and access to independent information.

“The Iranian people deserve the ability to communicate freely, access independent information, and expose the regime’s brutality to the world,” Tenney said in a statement announcing the bill.

“The Iranian regime knows that access to information is a threat to its grip on power, which is why it relies on censorship, surveillance, and internet blackouts to silence the Iranian people,” she added.

“The United States should stand with the courageous Iranians demanding basic freedoms by helping them stay connected to one another and the outside world.”

The measure would require regular reviews of US internet-freedom initiatives in Iran, assessments of their implementation, and reports to Congress.

It would also examine technologies that could help Iranians circumvent government restrictions, including virtual private networks, decentralized and peer-to-peer networks, and direct-to-cell satellite communications.

The bill seeks to expand access to secure digital tools and cybersecurity training for journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society activists.

It also directs federal agencies to improve coordination and address the possibility that US sanctions and export controls could inadvertently obstruct Iranian civilians’ access to technologies needed to reach the open internet.

Ansari said that unrestricted access to information was a fundamental human right and argued that helping Iranians communicate securely could deliver tangible assistance without military intervention.

“Freedom of expression and access to unrestricted information are fundamental human rights. The Islamic Republic regularly shuts down or restricts internet access while committing mass atrocities,” Ansari said in a statement.

“President Trump has said ‘help is on the way’ for the Iranian people. Ensuring unrestricted internet access would actually help people immediately.”

The legislation has support from lawmakers across party and ideological lines, including Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Dave Min (D-CA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), James Walkinshaw (D-VA), and André Carson (D-IN).

The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) has endorsed the legislation, arguing that improved access to satellite communications and better coordination across the federal government could help Iranians remain connected during government-imposed shutdowns.

PAAIA cited the January 2026 crackdown on protesters as an example of how internet restrictions can isolate citizens and hinder scrutiny of state actions.

The organization said expanding access to independent information would support Iranians’ democratic aspirations while advancing broader US national security interests.

““The Iranian regime has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to shut down the internet to isolate the Iranian people and facilitate the violent suppression of dissent, as we saw during the January 2026 crackdown on protesters.

The revised IRAN Act strengthens the US response by improving coordination across the federal government, ensuring our internet freedom strategy keeps pace with emerging technologies, and helping preserve access to satellite communications over Iran,” PAAIA said in a statement.

For Israel, Iran’s domestic repression is part of a wider regional picture. The Islamic Republic has supported armed groups hostile to Israel and maintained an adversarial relationship with the Jewish state.

Greater access to independent reporting and communications could help expose the consequences of the regime’s policies on internal affairs, although the bill itself is focused on internet freedom rather than directly addressing Iran’s regional military activities.

Experts have argued that increasing Iranian access to the internet could help in organizing protests and other activist efforts against the repressive regime in Tehran.

The US bill followed Iran’s brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests earlier this year.

A shopkeepers’ strike in Tehran on Dec. 28 initially reflected public anger over the soaring cost of living, a deepening economic crisis, and the rial—Iran’s currency—plummeting to record lows amid renewed economic sanctions.

However, the demonstrations quickly swelled into a broader anti-government movement calling for the collapse of the country’s Islamist, authoritarian system.

For nearly two weeks, widespread demonstrations shook the Islamist regime, with violent clashes between protesters and security forces drawing international attention and increasing pressure on the government to refrain from using violence against peaceful demonstrators.

As regime forces intensified their crackdown on protesters and opposition figures in an effort to maintain control, the government imposed a nationwide internet blackout that cut millions of Iranians off from independent reporting and severely disrupted access to information from outside the country.

According to several reports and Western officials, the regime killed tens of thousands of people during the crackdown, primarily over Jan. 8-9, arrested tens of thousands more, and perpetrated atrocities such as rape, security raids on hospitals, the abduction of wounded protesters, pressure on medical staff, extortion of families seeking the return of victims’ bodies, forced signatures on falsified death certificates, and restrictions on public funeral ceremonies.

In April, amid US-Israeli military operations against Iran, the regime’s internet blackout became the longest such nationwide shutdown ever recorded.

Tenney and Ansari’s legislation builds on earlier US efforts to assess emerging technologies capable of bypassing government-controlled networks.

Its expanded focus on satellite connectivity reflects growing interest in ways to maintain communications when conventional internet infrastructure is restricted or shut down.

The measure’s ultimate impact will depend on implementation, the availability of reliable technologies, and whether Iranians can use them without exposing themselves to surveillance or retaliation.