PATRIA Y VIDA Act of 2023

To require the United States Government to obtain and maintain the capacity to transmit internet access service abroad and domestically in case of emergency-related disruptions, and to strengthen support for circumvention technologies that allow users to evade government-backed censorship. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protecting Against Tyrants by Restoring Internet Access and Yielding Vital Interconnectivity in Designated Areas Act of 2023 PATRIA Y VIDA Act of 2023 2. Transmission of internet access service; circumvention technology (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Applicable official The term applicable official (2) Commission The term Commission (3) Eligible company The term eligible company (A) provides internet censorship circumvention tools that have a demonstrated capability to service significant numbers of simultaneous user sessions; and (B) has the capacity to scale up operations in response to foreign internet censorship activity. (4) Internet censorship circumvention tool The term internet censorship circumvention tool (b) Capacity To transmit internet (1) Transmission in foreign countries The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, the Commission, the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Secretary of Defense, shall obtain and maintain the capacity of the United States Government to transmit internet access service to locations in foreign countries where the provision of additional internet access service would promote freedom from repressive regimes. (2) Transmission in the United States The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, the Commission, and the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, shall obtain and maintain the capacity of the United States Government to transmit internet access service to locations in the United States in the case of emergency-related network disruptions. (3) Duties of consulted agencies A Federal agency with which the applicable official consults under paragraph (1) or (2) shall provide any and all authorizations and support that the applicable official determines necessary to carry out internet restoration as provided in the applicable paragraph. (4) Consultation with other Federal agencies The applicable official may consult with other Federal agencies, in addition to the Federal agencies described in paragraph (1) or (2), as the applicable official determines appropriate. (c) Circumvention technologies (1) Identification The Commission, in consultation with the Secretary of State and each other Federal agency described in subsection (b)(1), shall identify internet censorship circumvention tools that are designed to and can effectively counter large-scale internet censorship activity by foreign governments. (2) Surge funding The Commission, when necessary due to increased demand for internet censorship circumvention tools because of internet censorship activity by a foreign government, shall rapidly provide funding for eligible companies to provide internet censorship circumvention tools to individuals in that country. (d) Report Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission and the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media shall jointly submit to Congress a report that describes— (1) as of the date of the report— (A) the capacity of the United States Government to transmit internet access service— (i) in foreign countries to circumvent censorship; and (ii) in the United States in the case of emergency-related network disruptions; and (B) the capacity of internet censorship circumvention tools that are available to be used by individuals in foreign countries seeking to counteract censors; and (2) any new resources needed to provide the United States Government with more robust capacity to— (A) transmit internet access service— (i) in foreign countries to circumvent censorship; and (ii) in the United States in the case of emergency-related network disruptions; and (B) rapidly provide funding for companies to provide internet censorship circumvention tools to evade foreign government restrictions on internet access.

Summary: Protecting Against Tyrants by Restoring Internet Access and Yielding Vital Interconnectivity in Designated Areas Act of 2023 or the PATRIA Y VIDA Act of 2023 This bill requires activities to expand the capacity of the U.S. government to transmit internet access and counter foreign internet censorship. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must obtain the capacity to transmit internet access domestically in the event of emergency-related network disruptions, while the Department of State must obtain the capacity to transmit internet access in foreign countries with repressive regimes. FEMA and the State Department must consult with other federal agencies on their efforts, including the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration. Consulted agencies must provide necessary authorizations and support to allow FEMA and the State Department to transmit internet access. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must identify effective tools to counter large-scale internet censorship by foreign governments. In the event of increased demand for the tools, the FCC must rapidly provide funding to U.S. companies capable of deploying the tools to significant numbers of simultaneous users to circumvent internet censorship. The FCC and the U.S. Agency for Global Media must jointly report on matters concerning the capacity to domestically and globally transmit internet access and tools to circumvent internet censorship by foreign governments.