Time to reboot our push for global Internet freedom

[Commentary] The Bush Administration received the first $15 million put in the Department of State's budget for firewall-breaching technology through the efforts of Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), among others. It gave most of the money to a company that specializes in training journalists. The next appropriation, of $5 million, was inherited by the Obama Administration; it took more than 18 months to dispose of it. Of that funding, $1.5 million was given in August to the Broadcasting Board of Governors for distribution to the Global Internet Freedom Consortium. But the BBG has yet to turn over the funds.

Meanwhile, State has not even begun the process of distributing the $30 million in its budget for fiscal 2010, which ended three weeks ago. Assistant Secretary Michael Posner says that's because State has been busy developing a detailed strategy for implementing Sec of State Clinton's Internet freedom goals. It will, he said, be aimed not just at busting Internet firewalls but also at heading off governments' moves to regulate the Internet. So while funding for circumvention "will be an important piece" of the program, so will research into technologies and training, including of State's own personnel. Posner told me, "the money should follow the strategy."

That sounds reasonable. Yet while State is polishing its policy and preparing yet more training programs, Iranians and people from dozens of other countries are trying to get free access to the Internet. The technology exists to give it to them. State has the money in hand to pay for it. Yet after years of delay, the agency still hesitates to act. Posner says this has nothing to do with fear of offending China; but last year The Post quoted an unidentified State Department official saying the opposite. Either way, it's a poor record.