Sen. Rubio's ‘Patria y Vida’ bill seeks to counter internet censorship by repressive regimes

MIAMI — A bill introduced Friday by Florida Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott seeks to strengthen the U.S. government’s capacity to respond to internet shutdowns and censorship by authoritarian governments worldwide. The legislation proposal mandates several federal agencies to “obtain and maintain” the ability to provide internet access to foreign countries when the service “would promote freedom from repressive regimes” or in case of domestic disruptions. It also allows the Federal Communications Commission to quickly send funds to companies that provide tools to evade government-b...