Republican congressman and Trump ally introduces bill to exempt US websites from Ofcom

Max Thompson, Campaigns Officer

28 August 2026

A Republican congressman and ally of President Trump, Michael Rulli, has filed a bill that would prevent British regulators from enforcing Orwellian online safety rules on websites based in the US. This landmark bill would also prevent US courts from recognising or enforcing foreign fines relating to online speech.

This is the latest – and major – development in the trans-Atlantic battle over free speech.

Since Donald Trump returned to the presidency, he and his administration have been fiercely critical of the UK Government's approach to free speech, particularly online, repeatedly citing the Online Safety Act. These concerns are also levelled at the EU for its Digital Services Act. In the eyes of the US administration, these censorious legislative regimes have infringed not only on the free speech of British and European citizens, but also on the First Amendment rights of US citizens, while unfairly targeting American businesses.

Vice President JD Vance first raised his concerns about the retreat of free speech and the use of censorious regimes during the Munich Security Conference in 2025. He later pressed our then Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, on the state of free speech in the UK while in the Oval Office. US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Sarah Rogers, has arguably been the administration's most vocal critic of the Online Safety Act.

The bill introduced by Congressman Rulli is called the Granite Act—an acronym for "Guaranteeing Rights Against Novel International Tyranny and Extortion". It has also gained the support of senior members of the Trump administration who have criticised the UK's censorious online regime.

Speaking to The Times, Mr Rulli said: "Foreign bureaucrats do not get to decide what Americans can say. My bill makes clear that if a foreign government tries to punish an American for speech protected by the First Amendment, that judgment is dead on arrival in our courts."

When the Online Safety Act was first introduced to Parliament, it was promised as domestic legislation with the sole intent of protecting children online. It has since expanded beyond its original aim, as has the role of the all-powerful media regulator Ofcom. The regulator has shown its extraterritorial ambitions by threatening and fining US tech companies for breaches of the Online Safety Act, which has infringed upon the free speech rights of US citizens and unfairly targeted American businesses.

Ofcom has repeatedly gone after US websites for alleged breaches of the Online Safety Act — notably 4chan and Kiwi Farms. In March, Ofcom fined 4chan a staggering £520,000 after finding that it had failed to comply with its duties under the Act.

Both 4chan and Kiwi Farms have launched legal action in the US seeking an injunction against Ofcom. The regulator responded by asking for the case to be dismissed, arguing that, as a foreign governmental body, it was protected – claiming sovereign immunity – from being sued under US law. Rulli's bill would remove that protection.

Ofcom is threatening the UK-US relationship and has strayed far beyond its traditional role as the UK's media regulator into the realm of foreign affairs. This bill is the first one to be proposed at federal level, but similar laws have been proposed at state level — most notably in Wyoming.

It is not expected that this particular version of the bill will make it onto the statute book, but with support from a number of key Trump officials, the House Judiciary Committee, and the backing of both the White House and State Department, similar proposals could be taken forward.

Preston Byrne, who has been representing 4chan, has said: "Granite is not a single bill, but rather a published specification for how to use American law to stop foreign censorship … there are other versions kicking around various federal offices. The odds that something Granite-shaped will be enacted somewhere in the US in 2027 are good."

It is clear that the US is growing increasingly alarmed and frustrated with the Online Safety Act and its threat to its citizens' rights and its businesses.

Read more in The Times.