U.S. Senator James Lankford joined a bipartisan group of senators urging the State Department to expand efforts to help people in Iran maintain internet access amid protests and government-imposed digital blackouts.
Lankford and U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada led a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for a surge in support for internet freedom programs as demonstrations against the Iranian regime continue.
“We write today in defense of America’s long-standing and bipartisan commitment to support programs that enable internet freedom for the people of Iran, which is more important than ever as the people of Iran protest against the regime in record numbers,” the senators wrote. “In light of the current events in Iran, we urge the administration to surge resources to quickly enable critical internet freedom support.”
The letter says U.S.-backed programs have for years helped Iranians bypass government censorship through virtual private networks and anti-censorship tools. Lawmakers pointed to efforts funded through the State Department and the Open Technology Fund, as well as the bipartisan Iran Internet Freedom Act, which authorized funding in recent federal budget years to support those programs.
The senators argued that internet access allows people inside Iran to share information with the outside world, counter regime messaging and document conditions on the ground during periods of unrest and conflict.
Lankford and Rosen were joined on the letter by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey.
