RSID: <<2025-07-03T23:31Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>

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Welcome to program 408 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

  1:42 MFSK32: Program preview (now)
  2:54 MFSK32: Court orders USAGM to release funds for RFE/RL
  6:46 MFSK64: How does a country shut down the internet?
11:23 MFSK64: This week's images
28:37 MFSK32: Closing announcements

 

Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty press release:

In Latest Legal Win, US District Court Orders USAGM to Release
RFE/RL Funding for June

July 2, 2025

(WASHINGTON) — Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court
for the District of Columbia has once again granted Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)'s request for a temporary
restraining order in its lawsuit against the U.S. Agency for
Global Media (USAGM).

In his ruling, the judge ordered USAGM to immediately disburse
RFE/RL's congressionally appropriated funds for the month of
June, concluding that USAGM "has no intention of negotiating with
RFE/RL or ever distributing the congressionally appropriated
funds absent court intervention."

The ruling comes as RFE/RL marks the 75th anniversary of its
first test broadcast to audiences behind the Iron Curtain in
Czechoslovakia on July 4, 1950.

RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said:

"This ruling is the latest in a series of significant legal
victories compelling USAGM to release funding necessary for
our vital work. RFE/RL's value has been proven time and
again throughout its 75-year history, most recently during
the latest crisis in the Middle East, when millions of
Iranians flocked to our timely, accurate coverage as
hostilities erupted in the region, bypassing Tehran's
state-sponsored propaganda.

We remain ready as ever to enter into direct and
constructive discussions with USAGM leadership to ensure
that RFE/RL can continue to carry out its congressionally
mandated mission."

https://about.rferl.org/article/in-latest-legal-win-us-district-court-orders-usagm-to-release-rfe-rl-funding-for-june/
 

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Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 ...



RSID: <<2025-07-03T23:36Z MFSK-64 @ 9265000+1500>>
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This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net
 

From The Conversation:

Iran's internet blackout left people in the dark. How does a
country shut down the internet?

Mohiuddin Ahmed
Paul Haskell-Dowland
Edith Cowan University (Australia)
June 23, 2025

In recent days, Iranians experienced a near-complete internet
blackout, with local service providers – including mobile
services – repeatedly going offline. Iran's government has cited
cyber security concerns for ordering the shutdown.

Shutting off the internet within an entire country is a serious
action. It severely limits people's ability to freely communicate
and to find reliable information during times of conflict.

In countries that have privatised mobile and internet providers,
control is often exercised through legislation or through
government directives – such as age restrictions on adult
content. By contrast, Iran has spent years developing the
capacity to directly control its telecommunications
infrastructure.

So how can a country have broad control over internet access, and
could this happen anywhere in the world?

How does 'blocking the internet' work?

The "internet" is a broad term. It covers many types of
applications, services and, of course, the websites we're
familiar with.

There's a range of ways to control access to internet services,
but broadly speaking, there are two "simple" methods a nation
could use to block citizens' internet access.
Understand new developments in science, health and technology,
each week

Hardware

A nation may opt to physically disconnect the incoming internet
connectivity at the point of entry to the country (imagine
pulling the plug on a telephone exchange).

This allows for easy recovery of service when the government is
ready, but the impact will be far-reaching. Nobody in the
country, including the government itself, will be able to connect
to the internet – unless the government has its own additional,
covert connectivity to the rest of the world.

Software and configuration

This is where it gets more technical. Every internet-connected
endpoint – laptop, computer, mobile phone – has an IP (internet
protocol) address. They're strings of numbers; for example,
77.237.87.95 is an address assigned to one of the internet
service providers in Iran.

IP addresses identify the device on the public internet. However,
since strings of numbers are not easy to remember, humans use
domain names to connect to services – theconversation.com is an
example of a domain name.

That connection between the IP address and the domain is
controlled by the domain name system or DNS. It's possible for a
government to control access to key internet services by
modifying the DNS – this manipulates the connection between
domain names and their underlying numeric addresses.

An additional way to control the internet involves manipulating
the traffic flow. IP addresses allow devices to send and receive
data across networks controlled by internet service providers. In
turn, they rely on the border gateway protocol (BGP) – think of
it like a series of traffic signs which direct internet traffic
flow, allowing data to move around the world.

Governments could force local internet service providers to
remove their BGP routes from the internet. As a result, the
devices they service wouldn't be able to connect to the internet.
In the same manner, the rest of the world would no longer be able
to "see" into the country.

How common is this?

In dozens of countries around the world, the internet is either
routinely controlled or has been shut down in response to major
incidents.

A recent example is a wide-scale internet blackout in Bangladesh
in July 2024 during student-led protests against government job
quotas.

In 2023, Senegal limited internet access to handle violent
protests that erupted over the sentencing of a political leader.
In 2020, India imposed a lengthy internet blackout on the
disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. In 2011, the Egyptian
government withdrew BGP routes to address civil unrest.

These events clearly show that if a government anywhere in the
world wants to turn off the internet, it really can. The
democratic state of the country is the most significant influence
on the willingness to undertake such action – not the technical
capability.

However, in today's world, being disconnected from the internet
will heavily impact people's lives, jobs and the economy. It's
not an action to be taken lightly.

How can people evade internet controls?

Virtual private networks or VPNs have long been used to hide
communications in countries with strict internet controls, and
continue to be an effective internet access method for many
people. (However, there are indications Iran has clamped down on
VPN use in recent times.)

However, VPNs won't help when the internet is physically
disconnected. Depending on configuration, if BGP routes are
blocked, this may also prevent any VPN traffic from reaching the
target.

This is where independent satellite internet services open up the
most reliable alternative. Satellite internet is great for remote
and rural areas where traditional internet service providers have
yet to establish their cabling infrastructure – or can't do so.

Even if traditional wired or wireless internet connections are
unavailable, services such as Starlink, Viasat, Hughesnet and
others can provide internet access through satellites orbiting
Earth.

To use satellite internet, users rely on antenna kits supplied by
providers. In Iran, Elon Musk's Starlink was activated during the
blackout, and independent reports suggest there are thousands of
Starlink receivers secretly operating in the country.

https://theconversation.com/irans-internet-blackout-left-people-in-the-dark-how-does-a-country-shut-down-the-internet-259546
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This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net
 

This week's images ...


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The sun setting over Loch Shieldaig, Scotland.
tinyurl.com/2a5vnkk2 ...

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A close view of a Mediterranean sea slug near La Herradura,
Spain. tinyurl.com/268l9n48 ...

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The International Space Station transiting the sun.
tinyurl.com/2xqwqkjk ...

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Flamingos and their reflections on Lake Tuz, near Ankara,
Türkiye. tinyurl.com/2ab5hwoc ...

Sending Pic:197x142C;
 

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Broad-leaved Sweet Pea blooming in Mount San Jacinto State Park,
California, June 21. tinyurl.com/24zzh6pn ...

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The neon (or maybe LED faux neon) sign of Osborne's Modern
Cleaners in Portsmouth, Ohio. tinyurl.com/243betrn ...

Sending Pic:162x196C;

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The yellow flower, and some sharp spines, of a prickly pear, at
Tyler Arboretum in Media, Pennsylvania. tinyurl.com/2cbd32jj ...

Sending Pic:154x198C;

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A Western Tanager at Mueller State Park, Colorado.
tinyurl.com/2yko54z7 ...

Sending Pic:152x201C;


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Enjoy the scenery, but watch your step, at Palouse Falls State
Park in eastern Washington state. tinyurl.com/29notwh9 ...

Sending Pic:209x129C;


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Our painting of the week is "Awaiting Adventure" by Ronda
Fischer. tinyurl.com/2xthnb2t ...

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Shortwave Radiogram returns to MFSK32 ...


 

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