Could We Beam Broadband Internet Into Iran?

abenamer writes "Some reporter at a recent White House press briefing just asked the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, this question: Was 'the White House....considering beaming broad capability into Iran via satellite so the opposition forces would be able to communicate with themselves and the outside world?' 'Gibbs said he didn't know such a thing was possible. (Is it?) But he said he would check on the technological feasibility and get back with an answer.' I'm not sure what the reporter meant by beaming broadband into Iran: Do they even have 3G? Would we bomb the Iranians with SIM cards that would allow them to get text messages from the VOA? Or somehow put up massive Wi-Fi transmitters from Iraq and beam it into Iran? How would you beam broadband into Iran?"

Comments

Re:Don't do anything

[tjstork]

Maybe people will change their mind or maybe they won't, either way you'll be covered.

Because, if you choose not to do anything, they will call that meddling as well. You are damned if you do, and damned if you don't. Since we're not talking about an invasion, but merely enabling the communications of a people, that's entirely consistent with what should be American values. It's the Star Trek solution - useful and non-violent.

Re:Don't do anything

[deKernel]

Well, I guess I can think of a continent that twice should be happy that we "meddled" in their affairs as well as several countries that have half of their population happy that we again "meddled" in their affairs. I will leave out the whole Eastern Bloc countries including Russia for the sake of brevity.

Now regarding Iran, we, the US, are pretty darn certain that the opposition leader is really no better than the current leader. What we object to is that a select few individuals in Iran have decided the outcome of the election regardless of the general population or even their laws on elections (whether we like the results or the people elected).

you're ignorant

[circletimessquare]

"For one thing, this isn't a popular uprising. It's taking place in a liberal city and is mostly students (although not entirely)."

the protests are not by a few iranian hippies. this is a gross distortion of the facts of the wide appeal this uprising has across all demographic groups

"It's currently Iran's problem and it should be up to the Iranian people to resolve it, not for the outside to decide what they think is best for them."

good. so shut up and stop trying to characterize what is going on iran as anything else but a genuine, vast, multidemographic uprising

Re:Nokia / Siemens could provide an answer

[alexborges]

Very few people, if you ask me, touched jail.

Lots of others, say, Father Bush, just swam through the whole thing untouched, when it was, and still is, pretty obvious this was his doing.

Re:Ummm

[Curtman]

It was in reference to criticism that the US government wasn't doing enough to help or encourage the protesters overturn the election and/or government.

I wonder how those people would feel if some other nation decided to start beaming kiddie porn into the U.S. to combat that repressive regime.

Let Iranians sort out what is best for Iran for crying out loud.

awesome

[circletimessquare]

"A student who's participated in the protests does not make for an authoritative and unbiased report..."

oh, but some western asshole on a comment board does

gee, maybe you're arguing out of stubborn ignorance at this point?

you've been proven absolutely wrong. the protests are NOT just in tehran, they are all over the country. they are men, they are women, they are young, they are old, they are devout, they are westernized

that's the fucking truth

now if you're not man enough to admit when you are you clearly and wholly wrong, then simply shut up, you ignorant asshole