Operation Starfall will expand our capacity to deliver reliable and secure connectivity and circumvention tools to those who need them most in times of crisis,” said Rep. I’m honored to join with Representatives Salazar and Waltz to introduce the American Freedom and Internet Access Act. We cannot continue to stand by and allow the voices of those living under tyranny to be silenced. The United States is the most technologically advanced nation in the world and we have the tools to circumvent these shutdowns and stop the censorship. In recent years, this pattern of malicious behavior has played out across the globe, from Havana to Tehran. “When dictatorships and authoritarian regimes face pressure from their own people to reform, the first thing they do is shut off access to the internet. Consider how even more tragic the withdrawal from Afghanistan would have been during a blackout and Americans had no method of communication.” Operation Starfall will help expose the grotesque human rights abuses happening in Cuba and other repressive regimes and provide a platform for those seeking freedom over oppression. “Congress must now step up to fill the void in leadership from the White House and provide the people of Cuba and elsewhere in the world access to information and communication that their government’s refuse to allow. “The Biden Administration failed when the Cuban people needed their solidarity the most as they took to the streets to oppose the country’s communist regime,” said Rep. With Operation Starfall, we can improve homeland security and be ready to restore internet, freedom, and prosperity to those in need.” “We cannot stand by when tyrants shut off the lights and when American security is at risk. “The Biden Administration refused to help the people of Cuba when they needed it the most, so Congress must act to ensure we have a clear strategy to deploy in a time of crisis” said Rep. This is critical to protecting the safety and wellbeing of American citizens at home and abroad. This bill implements “Operation Starfall” – a strategic plan to provide access to wireless communications abroad and ensure we are ready when blackouts occur, disaster strikes, or when rogue regimes shut down internet access. Today, Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (FL-2 7), Michael Waltz (FL-06), Claudia Tenney (NY-22), and a dozen Republican lawmakers introduced the American Freedom and Internet Access Act ( HR 5123).
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