II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4713 

To authorize the Federal Communications Commission to specify additional 

sources from which a radio station licensee must obtain information 

to enable the licensee to announce that a foreign governmental entity 

has paid for a broadcast. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 2, 2022 

Mr. SCHATZ (for himself and Mrs. BLACKBURN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To authorize the Federal Communications Commission to 

specify additional sources from which a radio station 

licensee must obtain information to enable the licensee 

to announce that a foreign governmental entity has paid 

for a broadcast. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. ANNOUNCEMENT OF PAYMENT FOR BROAD4 CAST. 

5 Section 317(c) of the Communications Act of 1934 

6 (47 U.S.C. 317(c)) is amended to read as follows: 


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•S 4713 IS

1 ‘‘(c)(1) The licensee of each radio station shall exer2 cise reasonable diligence to obtain information to enable 

3 such licensee to make the announcement required by this 

4 section. 

5 ‘‘(2) In carrying out paragraph (1), the licensee of 

6 a radio station shall consult— 

7 ‘‘(A) its employees; 

8 ‘‘(B) other persons with whom it deals directly 

9 in connection with any program or program matter 

10 for broadcast; and 

11 ‘‘(C) any additional source of information the 

12 Commission designates that may enable the licensee 

13 to verify whether the matter broadcast by the radio 

14 station was paid for or furnished by a foreign gov15 ernmental entity. 

16 ‘‘(3) The licensee of a radio station shall— 

17 ‘‘(A) obtain the information required under 

18 paragraph (1)— 

19 ‘‘(i) when the licensee enters into an agree20 ment to lease time on the radio station; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) when the licensee renews any agree22 ment described in clause (i); and 

23 ‘‘(B) keep a record of the information required 

24 under paragraph (1). 

25 ‘‘(4) For purposes of this subsection— 


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•S 4713 IS

1 ‘‘(A) the term ‘agent of a foreign principal’ 

2 means an agent of a foreign principal, as defined in 

3 section 1(c) of the Foreign Agents Registration Act 

4 of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611(c))— 

5 ‘‘(i) that is registered as such with the At6 torney General under section 2 of that Act (22 

7 U.S.C. 612); 

8 ‘‘(ii) if the agent’s foreign principal— 

9 ‘‘(I) is a government of a foreign 

10 country or a foreign political party; or 

11 ‘‘(II) is directly or indirectly operated, 

12 supervised, directed, owned, controlled, fi13 nanced, or subsidized by the government of 

14 a foreign country or a foreign political 

15 party; and 

16 ‘‘(iii) that is acting in its capacity as an 

17 agent of such foreign principal described in 

18 clause (ii); 

19 ‘‘(B) the term ‘foreign governmental entity’ in20 cludes— 

21 ‘‘(i) the government of a foreign country; 

22 ‘‘(ii) a foreign political party; 

23 ‘‘(iii) an agent of a foreign principal; and 

24 ‘‘(iv) a United States-based foreign media 

25 outlet (as defined in section 624); 


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1 ‘‘(C) the term ‘foreign political party’ has the 

2 meaning given the term in section 1(f) of the For3 eign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended 

4 (22 U.S.C. 611(f)); and 

5 ‘‘(D) the term ‘government of a foreign coun6 try’ has the meaning given the term in section 1(e) 

7 of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as 

8 amended (22 U.S.C. 611(e)).’’. 

Æ 


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