Sponsors (4)
The bill pushes U.S. support for technologies that could keep Iranians connected during outages—advancing free expression and informing better programs—while increasing U.S. spending, raising security and safety risks, and reducing some public transparency.
Iranians and civil society groups could gain improved access to the global internet during government outages through support for direct-to-cell or low-Earth-orbit (LEO) solutions, expanding their ability to communicate and access information.
U.S. policymakers and program designers will receive a detailed, timely (120-day) technical and security briefing, improving the government's ability to design programs that protect user privacy and counter jamming.
Assessing commercial off‑the‑shelf (COTS) technologies could lower program costs and accelerate deployment if such options are eligible for grants, enabling faster, potentially cheaper delivery of connectivity solutions.
U.S. taxpayers may bear increased federal spending for procurement or grants to support connectivity solutions, raising budgetary costs.
Research and support for circumventing Iran's internet controls could heighten geopolitical tensions or prompt retaliatory measures from Iran, increasing national security risks.
Promoting or distributing communications technology could expose Iranian users and partner organizations to physical or digital harm if vulnerabilities and threat mitigations are not fully addressed.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced December 4, 2025 by Jacklyn Sheryl Rosen · Last progress December 4, 2025
Requires the Secretary of State, working with the FCC and Treasury, to prepare and deliver an updated report within 120 days that assesses the feasibility, risks, costs, and security of technologies to expand and protect internet access in Iran. The report must evaluate direct-to-cell wireless, drone-based platforms and countermeasures, terrestrial and non-terrestrial providers (including ownership and foreign participation), LEO satellite performance (with a classified annex), and whether off-the-shelf commercial technologies could qualify for an existing grant program to help Iranians access the global internet.