A Democratic bill with 2 Republican cosponsors · See all 3 cosponsors
Last activity — Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 328.
Cleared committee, waiting for its first floor vote
A committee approved it and it is on the calendar of the chamber it started in.
This is further than most bills get, and still no promise of a vote: the calendar is a queue, and the majority leadership decides what is called. A bill can sit here until the Congress ends.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- On Calendar
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Feasibility Review of Emerging Equipment for Digital Open Media Act" or the "FREEDOM Act," requires a specific report regarding internet freedom in Iran. The Secretary of State, along with the FCC and the Department of the Treasury, must submit this report within 120 days of enactment. The report serves to update and supplement a previous strategy required by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. It includes assessments on using direct-to-cell wireless technologies and the impact of drone-based platforms or signal jamming. Additionally, the report must survey telecommunications providers in Iran and analyze the effectiveness of low-Earth-orbit satellite systems. Finally, it examines the feasibility of using commercial "off-the-shelf" technologies to facilitate unrestricted internet access.
Yes· 3 of 6
- Scored +7
Does this get reliable internet to more people?
The bill specifically mandates assessing technologies to expand and protect internet access for people in Iran.
- Scored +5
Does this protect people from being watched or searched?
The bill directs an assessment of technologies that could shield the personal data of users from government surveillance.
- Scored +3
Does this favour talking over confrontation abroad?
The bill supports democratic values and freedom of expression through technological assessments in Iran.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Expansion of Internet Access: The bill calls for an assessment of using direct-to-cell wireless communications technologies to expand internet access for the people of Iran (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 1).
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Reliable Communication During Disruptions: The report includes an analysis of how to ensure Iranian civil society has reliable access to low-Earth-s-orbit satellite systems when the Government of Iran cuts internet access (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 5).
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Resilience Against Censorship: The bill seeks recommendations for technology improvements to help satellite systems resist jamming technologies to ensure access to the global internet (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 5).
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Data Protection: The proposed assessment looks into commercial technologies that could reasonably shield the personal data of users from the Government of Iran (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 6, subparagraph C).
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Unrestricted Internet Access: The bill considers the feasibility of using "off-the-shelf" technologies to facilitate unrestricted access to the global internet in Iran (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 6, subparagraph A).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Security Vulnerabilities: The bill notes the need to assess physical and digital security vulnerabilities for people using low-Earth-orbit satellite internet in Iran (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 5).
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Risks of Countermeasures: The bill acknowledges that the Government of Iran employs countermeasures, such as signal jamming or cutting off the global internet, which impact the feasibility and security of communication technologies (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 2 and paragraph 6, subparagraph D).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Education And Technology
- Does this get reliable internet to more people? — The bill specifically mandates assessing technologies to expand and protect internet access for people in Iran.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this protect people from being watched or searched? — The bill directs an assessment of technologies that could shield the personal data of users from government surveillance.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this favour talking over confrontation abroad? — The bill supports democratic values and freedom of expression through technological assessments in Iran. Does this better protect the country from computer attacks? — The bill mandates assessing the digital security vulnerabilities and data-shielding capabilities of new internet technologies.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would people in cities be better off under this? — The bill's technological focus may benefit urbanized populations with higher access to digital infrastructure.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this protect the right to vote? — The bill's focus on internet freedom in Iran relates to political expression rather than voting rights in the United States.
- 2/10/2026
- Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Risch with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 328.
- 1/29/2026
- Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- 1/28/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 12/4/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
John CornynRepublican · Texas
Ruben GallegoDemocrat · Arizona
David McCormickRepublican · Pennsylvania