[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3900 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 504
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3900
To promote human rights, internet freedom and accountability in Iran,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 24, 2026
Mr. McCormick (for himself, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Curtis, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr.
Banks, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Collins, Ms. Klobuchar, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Booker,
Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Justice, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Cornyn, Mr.
Blumenthal, Mr. Rounds, and Mr. Kaine) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
July 27, 2026
Reported by Mr. Risch, with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To promote human rights, internet freedom and accountability in Iran,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Iran Human Rights, Internet
Freedom, and Accountability Act of 2026''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS; STATEMENT OF POLICY.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following
findings:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) For nearly five decades, the people of Iran
have endured brutal repression under the Government of the
Islamic Republic of Iran, a regime that denies basic human
rights, silences dissidents, and responds to peaceful protest
with violence.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) The people of Iran have repeatedly and
courageously taken to the streets to demand economic
opportunity, human rights, dignity, and freedom.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) During the 2026 protests, the Government of
the Islamic Republic of Iran responded with brutality by
reportedly killing tens of thousands of people and wounding
thousands more, arresting tens of thousands, and restricting
internet access and telephone lines.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) The people of Iran are protesting the Iranian
regime's economic mismanagement, corruption, internal
suppression, and unjust executions.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) Access to free expression, open information,
and uncensored communication are fundamental human rights and
critical to the survival of the Iranian protestors.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) Thanks in part to United States-funded efforts
to support human rights and open internet access, the Iranian
people are consistently found to be one of the most pro-
American populations in the Middle East.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (7) The inspiring 2022 Women, Life, Freedom
protests demanded an end to the Islamic Republic and its
violence, particularly against Iranian women and ethnic
minorities.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (8) The barbaric so-called ``morality police'' and
other arms of state suppression have a lengthy history of
repressing the Iranian people's fundamental freedoms.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (9) The Iranian regime has engaged in systematic
efforts to intimidate, harass, detain, and harm political
dissidents, activists, and journalists both within Iran and
beyond its borders.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (10) The people of Iran deserve the right to
dignity, democracy, and self-determination and to be free from
the brutality of the Government of the Islamic Republic of
Iran.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the
United States--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) to recognize the right of the Iranian people
to freely determine, through free and fair elections, the
future leadership of their country;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) to facilitate the immediate expansion of
unrestricted internet access and civilian lines of
communication across Iran;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) to support the internationally recognized
human rights of Iranians and United States programs to assist
Iranian civil society, including in their credible
documentation, reporting, and accountability efforts of abuses
in Iran;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) to fully enforce sanctions against regime
violators of internationally recognized human rights and their
family members, including any family members and associates in
the United States that continue to directly or indirectly
provide support to the regime; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) to work in coordination with its allies to
consider appropriate measures to deter further lethal violence
against protesters.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 3. IMPROVED COORDINATION OF EFFORTS TO PROMOTE INTERNET
FREEDOM IN IRAN.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Duties of the Secretary of State.--The Secretary of
State shall be the Federal official with the primary responsibility
for--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) promoting widespread internet freedom in Iran
and expanding access to information for Iranian
citizens;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) coordinating all efforts carried out by
Federal departments and agencies that relate to digital freedom
initiatives in Iran; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) serving as the principal official responsible
for updating and carrying out the strategy required under
section 414 of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights
Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8754).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Updates to Comprehensive Strategy To Promote Internet
Freedom and Access to Information in Iran.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Updates.--Section 414 of the Iran Threat
Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8754)
is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) by striking ``Not later than'' and
inserting ``(A) Initial Strategy.--Not later
than'';</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) by redesignating paragraphs (11) and
(12) as paragraphs (14) and (15),
respectively;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) by inserting after paragraph (10) the
following new paragraphs:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(11) evaluate the use of virtual private
networks and direct-to-cell satellite technologies by civil
society and internationally recognized human rights activists
in Iran and develop strategies for increasing the accessibility
of such networks and technologies;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(12) work with the Department of the Treasury
and the Department of Commerce to ensure enforcement of
sanctions does not impede companies providing to Iranian
civilians the technology and other tools necessary to access
the open internet;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(13) assess the ability of the Iranian regime to
cut off all access to the internet and develop a strategy to
circumvent internet blackouts for Iranian civil society;'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) by adding at the end of the following
new subsection:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(b) Updates.--The Secretary of State, in consultation
with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, and the
heads of other Federal departments and agencies as appropriate, shall
review the strategy under subsection (a) on an ongoing basis and update
the strategy as appropriate, taking into account the results of such
review.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Submission of first updates.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) Submission.--Not later than 120 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of State shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) review and update the strategy
pursuant to section 414(b) of the Iran Threat
Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012
(22 U.S.C. 8754), as added by paragraph (1);
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) submit such updated strategy
to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of
the House of Representatives.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Form.--The strategy under subparagraph
(A) shall be submitted in an unclassified form, but may
include a classified annex.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 4. INTERNET FREEDOM AND CENSORSHIP
CIRCUMVENTION.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Internet Freedom Report.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the
date of the enactment of the Act, the Secretary of State, in
consultation with the Federal Communications Commission and the
Department of the Treasury, shall prepare and submit to the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee
on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report
that updates and supplements the report required under section
5124 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2025 (Public Law 118-159).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Additional matters to be included.--Updates to
the strategy required in section 5124 of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (22 U.S.C. 8754a) shall
also include the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) An assessment of the feasibility of
using direct-to-cell wireless communications
technologies to expand internet access for the people
of Iran, including technical, regulatory, and security
considerations.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) An analysis of how drone-based
platforms, signal-jamming technologies, and related
countermeasures could impact the feasibility, security,
economics, and resilience of such direct-to-cell
wireless communications.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) A survey of terrestrial and non-
terrestrial telecommunications service providers
currently active in Iran, including--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) whether such providers are
state-owned or state-controlled;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) the extent of foreign
participation or investment in such
providers;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) the implications of such
ownership and control for communications
freedom and censorship; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iv) any other relevant
information to assess the opportunities and
risks associated with terrestrial and non-
terrestrial communications technologies in
Iran.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Form.--The report required by paragraph (1)
shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a
classified annex.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Extension and Increase of Authorization for Iran
Internet Freedom Grant Program.--Section 5124(b)(5)(A) of the National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (22 U.S.C.
8754a(b)(5)(A)) is amended by inserting ``and not less than $20,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2030'' after ``$15,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026''.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Development of Internet Access Technologies.--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--The Department of State, in
coordination with the Department of Defense, the United States
Agency for Global Media, and other relevant Federal departments
and agencies, shall form a joint working group (referred to as
the ``Working Group'') to support the development of low-cost,
easily scalable, and rapidly deployable technologies to counter
internet shutdowns or limitations on network access abroad,
particularly those imposed by adversary countries, to enable
populations to overcome such restrictions.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Objectives.--In carrying out the
responsibilities under subsection (a), the Working Group shall
prioritize the following objectives:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) Identifying and supporting the
development of technologies capable of overcoming
internet blackouts and network disruptions imposed by
an adversary country and facilitating internet and
network access, including--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) low-earth orbit satellite
internet infrastructure;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) mesh networking solutions;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) portable and deployable
communication systems.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Virtual private networks (commonly
known as ``VPNs''), including--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) collaborating with industry,
academia, and relevant stakeholders to
accelerate the research, development, and
deployment of such technologies;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) conducting pilot programs and
field experiments to test the effectiveness and
scalability of developed solutions in real-
world settings; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) providing technical
assistance and resources to partner
organizations, governments, and nongovernmental
entities engaged in efforts to expand internet
access.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) Identifying and evaluating off-the-
shelf technologies that could be rapidly procured and
deployed to address internet access challenges in
targeted regions.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Collaboration with the federal acquisition
institute.--The Working Group shall collaborate with the
Federal Acquisition Institute to leverage expertise in
acquisition processes and practices related to carrying out the
objectives under paragraph (2) with the aim of--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) integrating best practices in defense
acquisition into the research, development, and
deployment processes of technologies developed by the
Working Group to facilitate internet access;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) ensuring that technologies developed
by the Working Group align with acquisition priorities
and strategies of the Department of State and the
Department of Defense;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) providing training and educational
opportunities for the Working Group on acquisition
principles, regulations, and procedures, with a focus
on technology development for countering censorship and
related restrictions;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) fostering dialogue and exchange of
knowledge between acquisition professionals and
innovation specialists to enhance the effectiveness and
efficiency of defense technology acquisition related to
internet access technologies; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) collaborating on the development of
acquisition strategies that prioritize the rapid
acquisition and deployment of technologies aimed at
countering censorship and restrictions on internet
access.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Reporting.--The Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the United
States Agency for Global Media, shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees an annual report detailing the
progress, challenges, and outcomes of the efforts undertaken
pursuant to this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) Authorization of appropriations.--There is
hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary for each fiscal year 2027 through 2030 to carry out
the activities described in this subsection.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) Appropriate congressional committees
defined.--In this subsection, the term ``appropriate
congressional committees'' means--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) the Committee on Armed Services, the
Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 5. IDENTIFICATION OF INDIVIDUALS SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after receiving a
written request from the chairman or ranking member of any of the
appropriate congressional committees regarding whether a foreign person
has engaged in the conduct described in subsectio