US Lawmakers Push for More Transparency Over Foreign Governments’ US Media Operations

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) speaks to reporters about the Inflation Reduction Act outside of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Aug. 6, 2022. Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers have introduced legislation to boost the authority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to oversee foreign sponsorships of TV and radio programs broadcast in America.

The bill, dubbed the Identifying Propaganda on Our Airwaves (IPA) Act, would allow the FCC to require that broadcasters check foreign media databases to identify who is sponsoring the programming (pdf).

The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives.

In 2021, the FCC issued rules asking broadcasters to verify the identity of sponsors by checking the agency’s “U.S.-Based Foreign Media Outlets” reports, as well as the Department of Justice’s Foreign Agents Registration Act website.

But in July, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struck down the FCC rule.

“We hold that the FCC cannot require radio broadcasters to check federal sources to verify sponsors’ identities. We therefore vacate that aspect of the challenged order,” the court said in its ruling (pdf).

The IPA Act seeks to provide the FCC with the authority necessary to lawfully implement checks on foreign media sponsors. The bill would not prohibit foreign governments from sponsoring content on American airwaves.

Chinese Influence, Media Infiltration

A Sept. 8 report by the nonprofit research organization Freedom House revealed that the Chinese Community Party (CCP) and its proxies were using “more sophisticated, covert, and coercive tactics” to spread disinformation and propagate pro-CCP narratives.

In a press release, Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House, warned that Beijing was trying to “bend” foreign media to its will.

“These efforts seek to silence criticism of the regime and convert independent media into shills for the Chinese Communist Party,” Abramowitz said.

In the United States, Beijing’s manipulation efforts were labeled as being “very high.” The report identified two radio stations in New York City and Washington that were paid to broadcast programming from China Radio International, which is backed by Beijing.

In an Oct. 17 press release from Schatz, Potomac Radio Group and RM Broadcasting were identified as two programming sponsors in the United States which are actually front groups for the Chinese and Russian governments. The IPA Act would “improve programming transparency on TV and the radio,” he said.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel pointed out that American citizens have the right to know the identity of those who solicit their support.

Consumers deserve to trust that the public airways have not been leased to foreign governments without their knowledge, Rosenworcel said.