99–010

Calendar No. 293

107TH CONGRESS REPORT

1st Session " ! SENATE 107–125

AUTHORIZATION OF ‘‘RADIO FREE AFGHANISTAN’’

DECEMBER 14, 2001.—Ordered to be printed

Mr. BIDEN, from the Committee on Foreign Relations,

submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany S. 1779]

The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under consideration S. 1779, a bill to authorize the establishment of ‘‘Radio Free

Afghanistan,’’ and for other purposes, reports favorably with an

amendment thereon and recommends that the bill do pass.

CONTENTS

Page

I. Purpose ........................................................................................................... 1

II. Background .................................................................................................... 1

III. Committee Action .......................................................................................... 2

IV. Committee Comments ................................................................................... 2

V. Section-by-Section Analysis .......................................................................... 3

VI. Cost Estimate ................................................................................................. 4

VII. Regulatory Impact Statement ....................................................................... 5

VIII. Changes in Existing Law .............................................................................. 6

I. PURPOSE

The bill authorizes the establishment of ‘‘Radio Free Afghanistan’’, an Afghan-language broadcast service within RFE/RL, Incorporated (commonly known as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty).

II. BACKGROUND

From the mid-1980s until the early 1990s, RFE/RL operated an

Afghan-language service which broadcast to Afghanistan. It was

terminated in 1993 for budgetary reasons. Currently, the Voice of

America (VOA) broadcasts a total of six hours per day to AfghaniVerDate 11-MAY-2000 16:27 Dec 14, 2001 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 RADIO SFORELA2 PsN: SFORELA2
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stan in two of its major languages, Dari and Pashto (three hours

in each language). The most recent survey indicates that it has a

substantial audience inside the country.

The need for additional news and information inside the country,

both during the ongoing military campaign by the United States

and during the forthcoming international effort to rebuild Afghanistan, is self-evident. There are few indigenous media in the country. Afghans have limited access to news, and are starved for truthful information about events in their own country. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), a private corporation funded by the

U.S. government, has a long and successful record of conducting

‘‘surrogate broadcasting’’—providing news and information primarily about the target country, thereby acting as a local news

service in the absence of a free and indigenous media. The Committee believes restoration of the Radio Free Afghanistan service

will provide an important complement to VOA broadcasts, will assist in the restoration of order in Afghanistan in the near term,

and assist in the international effort to build a stable government

in the country.

The bill, introduced on December 6, 2001 by Chairman Biden

and Senator Helms, authorizes broadcasts in the Dari and Pashto

languages by RFE/RL. It authorizes the appropriation of $8 million

in operating costs in Fiscal Year 2002 and $9 million in capital

costs. The funding provides start-up costs, and operating costs to

support a total of eight hours of daily broadcasts. This would involve four hours in each language, comprising two hours of original

programming and two hours of repeat programming. The capital

funding authorized in the bill contemplates construction of a new

shortwave transmitter in Kuwait. The Broadcasting Board of Governors has indicated to the Committee that the transmitter will be

part new, and part used. The transmitter itself is in storage in Europe, and will be moved to Kuwait; but new antennae will have to

be procured.

The bill differs in minor respects from H.R. 2998, which passed

the House of Representatives on November 7, 2001. The Housepassed bill authorizes funds for both Fiscal Year 2002 and 2003.

The Senate bill is limited to the current fiscal year; the Committee

believes that funding for Fiscal Year 2003 should be addressed in

the normal budget cycle. The House-passed bill also authorizes a

higher level of funding—a total of 12 hours per day.

III. COMMITTEE ACTION

The Committee considered S. 1779 at a business meeting held on

December 12, 2001. During the meeting, Senator Feingold offered

an amendment related to the standards and oversight of Radio

Free Afghanistan broadcasting; the amendment was accepted. The

Committee ordered the bill reported, as amended, by voice vote.

IV. COMMITTEE COMMENTS

The Committee has confidence in the ability of RFE/RL and its

leadership to rebuild, in a short time, a credible Radio Free Afghanistan. Nonetheless, it has authorized a reduced level of broadcasting as compared to the House-passed bill because it believes

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that, in rebuilding the new service, RFE/RL should proceed carefully, both to ensure quality control and to ensure that the service

meets the highest standards of professional journalism. It will take

time for the new service to build an audience; credibility is essential to building such an audience. The rapid establishment of the

service—from a starting stop to 12 hours per day in a matter of

months (as envisaged by the House-passed bill)—risks errors that

could threaten the credibility of the new service.

The Committee urges RFE/RL, in the operation of the new Afghan service, to also devote resources to the training of indigenous

media. The establishment of a local media will be essential, over

the long-term, to stability in the country. Such training is within

the mandate of RFE/RL under Section 303(b)(10) of the U.S. International Broadcasting Act of 1994. The United States and the

international community have made a commitment that it will not

walk away from Afghanistan, as it did in 1989 after the Soviet

withdrawal. Training of local media is just a small part of that

commitment.

During the Committee business meeting, Senator Dodd urged

that RFE/RL undertake to rebroadcast the stories of the victims of

the September 11 attacks—set forth daily in major U.S. newspapers in recent weeks—as a means of telling the personal stories

of that fateful day. The President of RFE/RL (Tom Dine), who was

present at the meeting, committed to pursue the idea. The Committee urges all the U.S. international broadcasting services to do

the same.

V. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS.

Section 1. Short title

The title of the bill is the ‘‘Radio Free Afghanistan Act.’’

Section 2. Establishment of Radio Free Afghanistan

Subsection (a) requires that, within 15 days of enactment, RFE/

RL, Inc., submit a detailed plan to the Broadcasting Board of Governors for the provision of surrogate broadcasting services in the

Dari and Pashto languages to Afghanistan.

Subsection (b) provides the Broadcasting Board of Governors the

authority to make grants to RFE/RL, Incorporated once the report

required under subsection (a) is submitted. This subsection also supersedes a statutory limit on grants to RFE/RL, Inc. This authority

to exceed the limit applies during Fiscal Year 2002 for support of

Radio Free Afghanistan.

Subsection (c) makes clear that the authorities applicable to

carry out U.S. government international broadcasting activities

may be used to carry out Radio Free Afghanistan broadcasts.

Subsection (d) requires the new service to adhere to the same

standards of professionalism and accountability, and shall be subject to the same oversight mechanisms, as other services of RFE/

RL, Inc.

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Section 3. Authorization of Appropriations

This section authorizes $8,000,000 in operating costs and

$9,000,000 in capital costs in Fiscal Year 2002. The funds appropriated under this section may remain available until expended.

Section 4. Repeal of ban on U.S. transmitter in Kuwait

This section repeals a permanent ban on construction of a U.S.

shortwave radio transmitter in Kuwait. The ban was enacted in

1994, at a time of serious budget stringency and in the aftermath

of the cancellation of a major transmitter project in Israel. The repeal of the ban is necessary to ensure the construction of a new

transmission facility in Kuwait for use for Radio Free Afghanistan.

This new facility is necessary because current transmission capabilities in the region are nearing their capacity. The Committee expects that the new transmitter will be used not only for Radio Free

Afghanistan, but also for other U.S. international broadcasting. Finally, the Committee notes that in the past, RFE/RL has not been

permitted to use U.S.-owned transmitters in Kuwait for broadcast

of Radio Free Iraq or RFE/RL’s Persian Service. Such restrictions

are unacceptable, and the Committee expects both services to

broadcast without hindrance or restriction from Kuwait by the end

of the year.

VI. COST ESTIMATE

In accordance with rule XXVI, paragraph 11(a) of the Standing

Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides the following estimate

of the cost of this legislation prepared by the Congressional Budget

Office:

U.S. CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE

Washington, DC, December 13, 2001.

Hon. JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR., Chairman,

Committee on Foreign Relations,

United States Senate,

Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN:

The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost

estimate for S. 1779, the Radio Free Afghanistan Act.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Joseph C. Whitehill, who

can be reached at 226–2840.

Sincerely,

DAN L. CRIPPEN, Director.

Enclosure:

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

Summary

S. 1779 would authorize the Broadcasting Board of Governors to

make a grant for radio broadcasting to the people of Afghanistan

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in their local languages. The bill would authorize the appropriation

of $17 million in 2002 to fund the broadcasting. Assuming the appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $15 million over the 2002-2006 period.

Because S. 1779 would not affect direct spending or receipts, payas-you-go procedures would not apply.

S. 1779 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)

and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.

Estimated Cost to the Federal Government

The estimated budgetary impact of S. 1779 is shown in the following table. The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 150 (international affairs). The estimate assumes the enactment of this bill and appropriation of the authorized amounts before the end of calendar year 2001. We assume that Radio Free Afghanistan will experience some delays in starting operations, and

as a result, would not be able to use all of the 2002 funding.

TABLE 1.—BUDGETARY IMPACT OF THE RADIO FREE AFGHANISTAN ACT

(By fiscal year, in millions of dollars)

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Spending for Broadcasting Board of Governors:

Authorization Level ............................................................... 17 0 0 0 0

Estimated Outlays ................................................................ 6 6 3 0 0

Pay-As-You-Go Considerations

None.

Intergovernmental and Private-Sector Impact

S. 1779 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA and would not affect the budgets of

state, local, or tribal governments.

Previous CBO Estimate

On November 7, 2001, CBO transmitted an estimate for H.R.

2998, the Radio Free Afghanistan Act of 2001, as ordered reported

by the House Committee on International Relations on November

1, 2001. The differences between the two estimates reflect the different amounts authorized by the two bills.

Estimate Prepared By

Federal Costs: Joseph C. Whitehill. Impact on State, Local, and

Tribal Governments: Elyse Goldman. Impact on the Private Sector:

Lauren Marks.

Estimate Approved By

Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

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VII. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT

In accordance with Rule XXVI, paragraph 11(b) of the Standing

Rules of the Senate, the Committee has concluded that there is no

regulatory impact from this legislation.

VIII. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with Rule XXVI, paragraph 12 of the Standing

Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill, as

reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted

is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman):

Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and

1995

* * * * * * *

Title III—United States International Broadcasting Act

* * * * * * *

PART B—USIA AND RELATED AGENCIES AUTHORITIES AND ACTIVITIES

* * * * * * *

øSEC. 226. UNITED STATES TRANSMITTER IN KUWAIT.

øNone of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this or any

other Act may be obligated or expended for the design, development, or construction of a United States short-wave radio transmitter in Kuwait.¿

Æ