Beyond Bureaucracy: Why Multilateral Processes Must Not Decide the Future of Satellite Internet 

As we reported here in February 2026, as the Iranian Women Coalition for Internet Freedom, we sent letters to the ITU and the Radio Regulation Board (in charge of receiving disputes about satellite and nowadays satellite Internet). In those letters we asked them to treat satellite Internet governance like Internet governance and argued that access to satellite Internet is access to Internet and a nation state should not be able to single handedly shutdown the terrestrial Internet and then bring a dispute to shut down satellite Internet too. Our efforts got nowhere. The ITU said they work really hard to bring people universal access to the Internet and love the multistakeholder model but their love can’t extend to persuading RRB to consider civil society input. We contacted the RRB members individually arguing that even if they cannot consider our submission, they should consider human rights and the real life consequences their decision can have on people’s access to the Internet. and we received one response that said: 

“RRB has its Working Methods approved by the Rules of Procedure, and I don’t see how the Board could receive your submission as an official one, no matter who is chairing. We cannot extrapolate our mandate.” 

Then the RRB had a meeting in March and considered the case of Islamic Republic against Starlink. The procedures are opaque and not transparent at all but they do report on their decisions (not deliberations) publicly. Here is what they decided on the case: 

The Board carefully considered the case, and expressed its concern. The concern was not about Islamic Republic shutting down the Internet (because in their bureaucratic world that is not within their mandate). They disagreed that ruling about Internet shutdown is outside of their mandate. Not only they didn’t consider the context and crisis that Iranians go through everyday at the hands of the Islamic Republic, they also said: the Islamic Republic should continue its efforts in identifying satellite terminals inside of Iran and shutting them down (just to note that the punishment for having satellite Internet is prison and death and at the moment satellite Internet is one of the more effective ways to provide VPN and connectivity for people inside of Iran), also they urged Norway and US to shut down Internet terminals inside of Iran. 

We keep raising awareness about this but face arguments such as RRB has a limited mandate or that it’s a technical body and cannot consider human rights and economic implications. RRB’s rulings as I have said elsewhere around 2 years ago are fortunately non-binding. But these rulings create a high risk environment for satellite Internet providers and others and disguise the fact that they are ruling on access to the Internet. 

Change is imperative. We must advocate for multilateral organizations that decide on satellite Internet to open their processes to all stakeholders or carve out satellite internet from its mandate entirely. At WRC 2027, we will demand that satellite access be recognized as fundamental Internet access. We reject the bureaucratic excuses used to ignore human rights; if we defend a free and global Internet, we must defend satellite Internet connectivity against regulatory silencing.