Congresswoman Tenney Leads Bipartisan Letter Calling on Biden Admin to Support Internet Freedom in Iran

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22), along with Congressman Tom Malinowski (NJ-07), today sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. In it, the members ask that the Treasury Department approve any license requests it receives to ensure entities can rapidly deploy communications services and Internet access to the Iranian people amid ongoing protests and the regime's widespread and deliberate Internet blackouts.

Additional members who joined the letter include House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Michael McCaul (TX-10), House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21), and Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Joe Wilson (SC-02), Abigail Spanberger (VA-07), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Steve Chabot (OH-01), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), James McGovern (MA-02), Don Bacon (NE-02), Gregory Steube (FL-17), Brian Mast (FL-18), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), and Brad Sherman (CA-30).

Protests have been raging throughout Iran after a 22-year-old girl, Mahsa Amini, was arrested for violating the country's strict dress codes. She later died while in custody. Reports indicate that Amini was beaten before collapsing and falling into a coma. In response to the protests, the regime in Iran has once again violently cracked down on protesters, including by triggering widespread Internet blackouts to stop all communications. This is occurring while Iran's president and close ally of the Supreme Leader, Ebrahim Raisi, is in New York for high-level meetings of the United Nations General Assembly.

Following the Internet blackouts, SpaceX Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk has said he would seek to bring Starlink satellite Internet service to Iran. However, he further stated a license from the U.S. Department of the Treasury would be needed to facilitate its deployment.

Under the Treasury Department's General License D-1, U.S. individuals and entities are generally permitted to provide software, services, and hardware to Iran to facilitate the personal communications of the Iranian people. However, in some cases, letters of comfort or a specific license from the Treasury Department may be sought by entities and individuals seeking to provide such services. Tenney's bipartisan letter calls on the Treasury Department to ensure information and guidance regarding this existing General License is made clearer to industry and that any specific licensing requests that are received are expeditiously approved.

"The regime in Iran is once again violently cracking down on the rights of its citizens," said Congresswoman Tenney. "It is the policy of the United States to stand with the Iranian people, who are the longest-suffering victims of this regime's brutality. Now, as the Iranian people are demanding justice for Mahsa and countless others like her, the United States must reaffirm our commitment to democracy by ensuring the Iranian people are not cut off from each other and the world. Today, with strong bipartisan support, Congress is calling on the Treasury Department to do everything in its power to help the Iranian people stay connected to the Internet. We need to cut through any bureaucratic red tape and get this done."

"We won't know what is going on in Iran if Iranians don't have access to the internet," said Congressman Malinowski. "Iranians are taking to the street demanding justice for Mahsa, and we need to do our part to ensure that Iranians remain connected to the outside world."

"I am horrified by the sheer brutality of the Iranian regime's crackdown against its own people, and the lengths it will go to prevent peaceful protestors from simply communicating their views," said Ranking Member McCaul. "I stand with the brave Iranians protesting against injustice. We must do everything in our power to ensure their voices are heard."

The full text of the letter is available here(link is external).

Dear Secretary Yellen,

The Islamic Republic of Iran is once again violently suppressing peaceful protests, with reports that several protesters have already been killed by security forces. As Iran moves to squash dissent even further by restricting the Iranian people's access to the Internet and cutting off communications services, we ask that the U.S. Department of the Treasury take every step possible within its power to clarify existing guidance regarding general licenses for the provision of technology-related communications services to the Iranian people. Further, we ask that you expedite any related license requests from companies providing communication services that can better connect Iranians with the outside world, including from Starlink.

It remains the policy of the United States Government to facilitate the free flow of information to individual Iranian citizens. General License (GL D-1) was issued by the Treasury Department in 2014 and authorizes, "certain services, software, and hardware incident to personal communications." As the license states, this includes fee-based services and software incident to the exchange of personal communications over the Internet as well as consumer-grade Internet connectivity services. As Iran takes steps to severely curtail the Iranian people's access to the Internet and personal communications devices and software, including Instagram, we urge the Treasury Department to take every necessary step to clarify guidance related to existing general licenses as proactively and publicly as possible. Further, we urge the Department to issue any necessary "comfort letters" to entities may seek to provide communications services under GL D-1.

In addition, we ask the Treasury Department to expeditiously review and approve any license requests related to internet and communications services to the Iranian people. Doing so would be fully consistent with the Statement of Licensing Policy adopted by the Department in 2012, which established a favorable licensing policy for services and software that benefit the ability of the Iranian people to communicate. As you may be aware, Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, recently stated that SpaceX would seek a license to provide its satellite based Starlink Internet service to Iran. If such a license request is submitted, we urge you to approve it immediately.

Thousands of Iranians are currently protesting their government, utilizing their right to freedom of expression, and the United States must uphold our commitment to ensuring they have access to communications services and technologies. Time is of the essence: with Internet access and services under threat in Iran today, we must act now to ensure critical services continue to be provided to the Iranian people uninterrupted.

As such, we request that you submit to Congress the following: (1) a detailed report of all requests for guidance or comfort letters your Department receives related to the provision of Internet, communications services, cloud software, or other software to the Iranian people beginning now and extending to the end of the calendar year; (2) a detailed report of all licensing requests your Department receives related to the provision of Internet, communications services, cloud software, other software Internet or communications services or software to the Iranian people beginning now and extending to the end of the calendar year; and finally, (3) a detailed report of all licensing requests that are denied by your Department related to the provision of Internet, communications services, cloud software, or other software to the Iranian people beginning now and extending to the end of the calendar year, in addition to an explanation as to why such requests were not approved.

We thank you in advance for your attention to this issue and look forward to your immediate response.

Sincerely,

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