IB 

Union Calendar No. 407 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4490 

[Report No. 113–541] 

To enhance the missions, objectives, and effectiveness of United States 

international communications, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 28, 2014 

Mr. ROYCE (for himself, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. 

ROHRABACHER, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. KEATING, and Mr. 

SALMON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

JULY 18, 2014 

Additional sponsors: Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. SIRES, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. POE of 

Texas, Mr. STOCKMAN, Mr. LOWENTHAL, and Mr. JONES

JULY 18, 2014 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 28, 2014] 


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A BILL 

To enhance the missions, objectives, and effectiveness of 

United States international communications, and for 

other purposes. 


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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘United States International Communications Reform Act 

6 of 2014’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; Table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings and declarations. 

Sec. 3. Purposes. 

Sec. 4. Definitions. 

Sec. 5. Broadcasting standards. 

Sec. 6. Eligible broadcast areas. 

TITLE I—ESTABLISHMENT, ORGANIZATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF 

THE UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY 

Subtitle A—Establishment of the United States International Communications 

Agency 

Sec. 101. Existence within the executive branch. 

Sec. 102. Establishment of the Board of the United States International Communications Agency. 

Sec. 103. Authorities and duties of the Board of the United States International 

Communications Agency. 

Sec. 104. Establishment of the Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Communications Agency. 

Sec. 105. Authorities and duties of the Chief Executive Officer of the United 

States International Communications Agency. 

Sec. 106. Role of the Secretary of State. 

Sec. 107. Role of the Inspector General. 

Sec. 108. Enhanced coordination between United States International Communications Agency and the Freedom News Network; Program content sharing; Grantee independence. 

Sec. 109. Enhanced coordination among the United States International Communications Agency, the Freedom News Network, and the Department of State; Freedom News Network independence. 

Sec. 110. Grants to the Freedom News Network. 

Sec. 111. Other personnel and compensation limitations. 

Sec. 112. Reporting requirements of the United States International Communications Agency. 

Subtitle B—The Voice of America 

Sec. 121. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 122. Principles of the Voice of America. 


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Sec. 123. Duties and responsibilities of the Voice of America. 

Sec. 124. Limitation on Voice of America news, programming, and content; Exception for broadcasting to Cuba. 

Sec. 125. Director of Voice of America. 

Subtitle C—General Provisions 

Sec. 131. Federal agency coordination in support of United States public diplomacy. 

Sec. 132. Federal agency assistance and coordination with the United States 

International Communications Agency and the Freedom News 

Network during international broadcast surges. 

Sec. 133. Freedom News Network right of first refusal in instances of Federal disposal of radio or television broadcast transmission facilities or 

equipment. 

Sec. 134. Repeal of the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994. 

Sec. 135. Effective date. 

TITLE II—THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK 

Sec. 201. Sense of Congress. 

Subtitle A—Consolidation of Existing Grantee Organizations 

Sec. 211. Formation of the Freedom News Network from existing grantees. 

Sec. 212. Mission of the Freedom News Network. 

Sec. 213. Standards and principles of the Freedom News Network. 

Subtitle B—Organization of the Freedom News Network 

Sec. 221. Governance of the Freedom News Network. 

Sec. 222. Budget of the Freedom News Network. 

Sec. 223. Assistance from other Government agencies. 

Sec. 224. Reports by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of 

State; Audits by GAO. 

Sec. 225. Amendments to the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948. 

TITLE III—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 

Sec. 301. Preservation of United States national security objectives. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS. 

2 Congress finds and declares the following: 

3 (1) United States international broadcasting ex4 ists to advance the United States’ interests and values 

5 by presenting accurate, objective, and comprehensive 

6 news and information, which is the foundation for 


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1 democratic governance, to societies that lack a free 

2 media. 

3 (2) Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of 

4 Human Rights states that ‘‘[e]veryone has the right 

5 to freedom of opinion and expression’’, and that ‘‘this 

6 right includes freedom to hold opinions without inter7 ference and to seek, receive and impart information 

8 and ideas through any media and regardless of fron9 tiers’’. 

10 (3) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified 

11 before the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 

12 of Representatives on January 23, 2013, that the 

13 Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) ‘‘is prac14 tically a defunct agency in terms of its capacity to 

15 be able to tell a message around the world. So we’re 

16 abdicating the ideological arena and need to get back 

17 into it.’’. 

18 (4) The BBG, which was created by Congress to 

19 oversee the United States’ international broadcasting 

20 in the wake of the Cold War, has, because of struc21 tural and managerial issues, had limited success to 

22 date in both coordinating the various components of 

23 the international broadcasting framework and man24 aging the day-to-day operations of the Federal compo25 nents of the international broadcasting framework. 


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1 (5) The lack of regular attendance by board 

2 members and a periodic inability to form a quorum 

3 have plagued the BBG and, as a result, it has been 

4 functionally incapable of running the agency. 

5 (6) The board of governors has only achieved the 

6 full slate of all nine governors for seven of its 17 years 

7 of existence, which highlights the difficulties of con8 firming and retaining governors under the current 

9 structure. 

10 (7) Both the Department of State’s Office of In11 spector General and the Government Accountability 

12 Office have issued reports which outline a severely 

13 dysfunctional organizational structure of the Broad14 casting Board of Governors. 

15 (8) The Inspector General of the Department of 

16 State concluded in its January 2013 report that dys17 function of the BBG stems from ‘‘a flawed legislative 

18 structure and acute internal dissension’’. 

19 (9) The Inspector General of the Department of 

20 State also found that the BBG’s structure of nine 

21 part-time members ‘‘cannot effectively supervise all 

22 United States Government-supported, civilian inter23 national broadcasting’’, and its involvement in day24 to-day operations has impeded normal management 

25 functions. 


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1 (10) The Government Accountability Office re2 port determined that there was significant overlap 

3 among the BBG’s languages services, and that the 

4 BBG did not systematically consider the financial 

5 cost of overlap. 

6 (11) According to the Office of the Inspector Gen7 eral, the BBG’s Office of Contracts is not in compli8 ance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, lacks 

9 appropriate contract oversight, and violates the Anti10 Deficiency Act. The Office of the Inspector General 

11 also determined that the Broadcasting Board of Gov12 ernors has not adequately performed full and open 

13 competitions or price determinations, has entered into 

14 hundreds of personal service contracts without statu15 tory authority, and contractors regularly work with16 out valid contracts in place. 

17 (12) The size and make-up of the BBG workforce 

18 should be closely examined, given the agency’s broader 

19 broadcasting and technical mission, as well as chang20 ing media technologies. 

21 (13) The BBG should be structured to ensure 

22 that more taxpayer dollars are dedicated to the sub23 stantive, broadcasting, and information-related ele24 ments of the agency’s mission. 


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1 (14) The lack of a coherent and well defined mis2 sion of the Voice of America has led to programming 

3 that duplicates the efforts of the Office of Cuba Broad4 casting, Radio Free Asia, RFE/RL, Incorporated, 

5 and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Incor6 porated that results in inefficient use of tax-payer 

7 funding. 

8 (15) The annual survey conducted by the ‘‘Part9 nership for Public Service’’ consistently ranks the 

10 Broadcasting Board of Governors at or near the bot11 tom of all Federal agencies in terms of ‘‘overall best 

12 places to work’’ and ‘‘the extent to which employees 

13 feel their skills and talents are used effectively’’. The 

14 consistency of these low scores point to structural, cul15 tural, and functional problems at the Broadcasting 

16 Board of Governors. 

17 (16) The Federal and non-Federal organizations 

18 that comprise the United States international broad19 casting framework have different, yet complementary, 

20 missions that necessitate coordination at all levels of 

21 management. 

22 (17) The Broadcasting Board of Governors has 

23 an overabundance of senior civil service positions, de24 fined here as full-time employees encumbering GS-14 


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1 and GS-15 positions on the General Schedule pay 

2 scale. 

3 (18) United States international broadcasting 

4 should seek to leverage public-private partnerships, 

5 including the licensing of content and the use of tech6 nology owned or operated by non-governmental 

7 sources, where possible to expand outreach capacity. 

8 (19) Shortwave broadcasting has been an impor9 tant method of communication that should be utilized 

10 in regions as a component of United States inter11 national broadcasting where a critical need for the 

12 platform exists. 

13 (20) Congressional action is necessary at this 

14 time to improve international broadcasting oper15 ations, strengthen the United States’ public diplo16 macy efforts, enhance the grantee surrogate broad17 casting effort, restore focus to news, programming, 

18 and content, and maximize the value of Federal and 

19 non-Federal resources that are dedicated to public di20 plomacy and international broadcasting. 

21 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

22 The purposes of this Act are as follows: 

23 (1) To provide objective, accurate, credible, and 

24 comprehensive news and information to societies that 

25 lack freedom of expression and information. 


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1 (2) To improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and 

2 flexibility of United States international broadcasting 

3 to allow it to adapt to constantly changing political 

4 and media environments through clarification of mis5 sions, improved coordination, and organizational re6 structuring. 

7 (3) To coordinate the complementary efforts of 

8 the Department of State and United States inter9 national broadcasting. 

10 (4) To create a United States international 

11 broadcasting framework that more effectively leverages 

12 the broadcasting tools available and creates speciali13 zation of expertise in mission oriented programming, 

14 while minimizing waste and inefficiency. 

15 (5) To improve United States international 

16 broadcasting workforce effectiveness, security, and sat17 isfaction. 

18 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

19 In this Act: 

20 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT21 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional commit22 tees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

23 House of Representatives, the Committee on Foreign 

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1 tions of the House of Representatives, and the Com2 mittee on Appropriations of the Senate. 

3 (2) GRANTEE.—The term ‘‘grantee’’ means the 

4 non-Federal organization described in section 

5 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and 

6 exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such Code as 

7 of day before the date of the enactment of this Act 

8 that receives Federal funding from the Broadcasting 

9 Board of Governors, and includes Radio Free Asia, 

10 RFE/RL, Incorporated, and the Middle East Broad11 casting Networks, Incorporated. 

12 (3) FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK.—The term 

13 ‘‘Freedom News Network’’ refers to the non-Federal 

14 organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the In15 ternal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax 

16 under section 501(a) of such Code that would receive 

17 Federal funding and be responsible for promoting 

18 democratic freedoms and free media operations for 

19 foreign audiences in societies that lack freedom of ex20 pression and information, and consisting of the con21 solidation of the grantee in accordance with section 

22 211. 

23 (4) PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.—The term ‘‘public di24 plomacy’’ means the effort to achieve broad United 

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1 tional interests, and enhance national security by in2 forming and influencing foreign publics and by ex3 panding and strengthening the relationship between 

4 the people and Government of the United States and 

5 citizens of other countries. 

6 SEC. 5. BROADCASTING STANDARDS. 

7 United States international broadcasting shall incor8 porate the following standards into all of its broadcasting 

9 efforts: 

10 (1) Be consistent with the broad foreign policy 

11 objectives of the United States. 

12 (2) Be consistent with the international tele13 communications policies and treaty obligations of the 

14 United States. 

15 (3) Not duplicate the activities of private United 

16 States broadcasters. 

17 (4) Be conducted in accordance with the highest 

18 professional standards of broadcast journalism while 

19 remaining consistent with and supportive of the 

20 broad foreign policy objectives of the United States. 

21 (5) Be based on reliable, research-based informa22 tion, both quantitative and qualitative, about its po23 tential audience. 

24 (6) Be designed so as to effectively reach a sig25 nificant audience. 


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1 (7) Promote freedom of expression, religion, and 

2 respect for human rights and human equality. 

3 SEC. 6. ELIGIBLE BROADCAST AREAS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Board of the United States 

5 International Communications Agency and the Board of 

6 the Freedom News Network, in consultation with the Sec7 retary of State, shall ensure that United States inter8 national broadcasting is conducted only to countries and 

9 regions that— 

10 (1) lack democratic rule, or the indicia of demo11 cratic rule, such as demonstrable proof of free and 

12 fair elections; 

13 (2) lack the legal and political environment that 

14 allows media organizations and journalists to operate 

15 free from government-led or permitted harassment, in16 timidation, retribution, and from economic impedi17 ments to the development, production, and dissemina18 tion of news and related programming and content; 

19 (3) lack established, domestic, and widely acces20 sible media that provide accurate, objective, and com21 prehensive news and related programming and con22 tent; and 

23 (4) by virtue of the criteria described in this sub24 section, would benefit the national security and re25 lated interests of the United States, and the safety 


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1 and security of United States citizens at home and 

2 abroad. 

3 (b) EXCEPTION.—The United States International 

4 Communications Agency and the Freedom News Network 

5 may broadcast to countries that fall outside of the criteria 

6 described in subsection (a) if the Chief Executive Officer 

7 of the Agency and the Freedom News Network, in consulta8 tion with the Secretary of State, determine it is in the na9 tional security interest of the United States, or in the inter10 ests of preserving the safety and security of United States 

11 citizens at home and abroad, to do so. 

12 TITLE I—ESTABLISHMENT, OR13 GANIZATION, AND MANAGE14 MENT OF THE UNITED 

15 STATES INTERNATIONAL 

16 COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY 

17 Subtitle A—Establishment of the 

18 United States International 

19 Communications Agency 

20 SEC. 101. EXISTENCE WITHIN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH. 

21 There is hereby established a single Federal organiza22 tion consisting of the Voice of America and the offices that 

23 constitute the International Broadcasting Bureau and re24 ferred to hereafter as the ‘‘United States International Com25 munications Agency’’, which shall exist within the executive 


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1 branch of Government as an independent establishment de2 scribed in section 104 of title 5, United States Code. 

3 SEC. 102. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BOARD OF THE UNITED 

4 STATES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS 

5 AGENCY. 

6 (a) COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD OF THE UNITED

7 STATES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Board (in this section re9 ferred to as the ‘‘Board’’) of the United States Inter10 national Communications Agency shall consist of 

11 nine members, as follows: 

12 (A) Eight voting members who shall be ap13 pointed by the President, by and with the advice 

14 and consent of the Senate. 

15 (B) The Secretary of State, who shall also 

16 be a voting member. 

17 (2) CHAIR.—The President shall appoint one 

18 member (other than the Secretary of State) as Chair 

19 of the Board, by and with the advice and consent of 

20 the Senate. 

21 (3) POLITICAL AFFILIATION.—Exclusive of the 

22 Secretary of State, not more than four members of the 

23 Board shall be of the same political party. 

24 (4) RETENTION OF EXISTING BBG MEMBERS.— 

25 The presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed 


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1 members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors 

2 serving as of the date of the enactment of this Act 

3 shall constitute the Board of the United States Inter4 national Communications Agency and hold office the 

5 remainder of their original terms of office without re6 appointment to the Board. 

7 (b) TERM OF OFFICE.—The term of office of each mem8 ber of the Board shall be three years, except that the Sec9 retary of State shall remain a member of the Board during 

10 the Secretary’s term of service. Of the other eight voting 

11 members, the initial terms of office of two members shall 

12 be one year, and the initial terms of office of three other 

13 members shall be two years, as determined by the President. 

14 The President shall appoint, by and with the advice and 

15 consent of the Senate, Board members to fill vacancies oc16 curring prior to the expiration of a term, in which case 

17 the members so appointed shall serve for the remainder of 

18 such term. Members may not serve beyond their terms. 

19 When there is no Secretary of State, the Acting Secretary 

20 of State shall serve as a member of the Board until a Sec21 retary is appointed. 

22 (c) SELECTION OF BOARD.—Members of the Board 

23 shall be citizens of the United States who are not regular 

24 full-time employees of the United States Government. Such 

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1 zens distinguished in the fields of public diplomacy, mass 

2 communications, print, broadcast media, or foreign affairs. 

3 (d) COMPENSATION.—Members of the Board, while at4 tending meetings of the Board or while engaged in duties 

5 relating to such meetings or in other activities of the Board 

6 pursuant to this section (including travel time) shall be en7 titled to receive compensation equal to the daily equivalent 

8 of the compensation prescribed for level IV of the Executive 

9 Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code. 

10 While away from their homes or regular places of business, 

11 members of the Board may be allowed travel expenses, in12 cluding per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with 

13 section 5703 of such title for persons in the Government 

14 service employed intermittently. The Secretary of State 

15 shall not be entitled to any compensation under this chap16 ter. 

17 (e) DECISIONS.—Decisions of the Board shall be made 

18 by majority vote, a quorum being present. A quorum shall 

19 consist of a majority of members then serving at the time 

20 a decision of the Board is made. 

21 (f) TRANSPARENCY.—The Board of the United States 

22 International Communications Agency shall adhere to the 

23 provisions specified in the Government in the Sunshine Act 

24 (Public Law 94–409). 


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1 SEC. 103. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF 

2 THE UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL COM3 MUNICATIONS AGENCY. 

4 The Board of the United States International Commu5 nications Agency shall have the following authorities: 

6 (1) To review and evaluate the mission and op7 eration of, and to assess the quality, effectiveness, and 

8 professional integrity of, all programming produced 

9 by the United States International Communications 

10 Agency to ensure alignment with the broad foreign 

11 policy objectives of the United States. 

12 (2) To ensure that broadcasting of the United 

13 States International Communications Agency is con14 ducted in accordance with the standards specified in 

15 section 5. 

16 (3) To review, evaluate, and recommend to the 

17 Chief Executive of the United States International 

18 Communications Agency, at least annually, in con19 sultation with the Secretary of State, the necessity of 

20 adding or deleting of language services of the Agency. 

21 (4) To submit to the President and Congress an 

22 annual report which summarizes and evaluates ac23 tivities of the United States International Commu24 nications Agency described in this title. 


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1 SEC. 104. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFI2 CER OF THE UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL 

3 COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be a Chief Executive Of5 ficer of the United States International Communications 

6 Agency, appointed by the Board of the Agency for a five7 year term, renewable at the Board’s discretion, and subject 

8 to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing 

9 appointments, classification, and compensation. 

10 (b) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Chief Executive Officer 

11 shall be selected from among United States citizens with 

12 two or more of the following qualifications: 

13 (1) A distinguished career in managing a large 

14 organization or Federal agency. 

15 (2) Experience in the field of mass communica16 tions, print, or broadcast media. 

17 (3) Experience in foreign affairs or international 

18 relations. 

19 (4) Experience in directing United States public 

20 diplomacy programs. 

21 (c) TERMINATION AND TRANSFER.—Immediately upon 

22 appointment of the Chief Executive Officer under subsection 

23 (a), the Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau 

24 shall be terminated, and all of the responsibilities and au25 thorities of the Director shall be transferred to and assumed 

26 by the Chief Executive Officer. 


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1 (d) REMOVAL OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.—The 

2 Chief Executive Officer under subsection (a) may be re3 moved upon a two-thirds majority vote of the members of 

4 the Board of the United States International Communica5 tions Agency then serving. 

6 (e) COMPENSATION OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFI7 CER.—Any Chief Executive Officer of the United States 

8 International Communications Agency hired after the date 

9 of the enactment of this Act, shall be eligible to receive com10 pensation up to an annual rate of pay equivalent to level 

11 I of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, 

12 United States Code. 

13 SEC. 105. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF THE CHIEF EXECU14 TIVE OFFICER OF THE UNITED STATES 

15 INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY. 

16 (a) DUTIES.—The Chief Executive Officer under sec17 tion 104 shall direct operations of the United States Inter18 national Communications Agency and shall have the fol19 lowing non-delegable authorities, subject to the supervision 

20 of the Board of the United States International Commu21 nications Agency: 

22 (1) To supervise all Federal broadcasting activi23 ties conducted pursuant to title V of the United States 

24 Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 


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1 (22 U.S.C. 1461 et seq.) and the Voice of America as 

2 described in subtitle B of title I of this Act. 

3 (2) To make and ensure compliance with the 

4 terms and conditions of the grant agreement in ac5 cordance with section 110. 

6 (3) To review engineering activities to ensure 

7 that all broadcasting elements receive the highest 

8 quality and cost-effective delivery services. 

9 (4) To undertake such studies as may be nec10 essary to identify areas in which broadcasting activi11 ties under the authority of the United States Inter12 national Communications Agency could be made 

13 more efficient and economical. 

14 (5) To the extent considered necessary to carry 

15 out the functions of the Board, procure supplies, serv16 ices, and other personal property, as well as procure17 ment pursuant to section 1535 of title 31, United 

18 States Code (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Economy 

19 Act’’), of such goods and services from other Federal 

20 agencies for the Board as the Board determines are 

21 appropriate. 

22 (6) To appoint such staff personnel for the Board 

23 as the Board may determine to be necessary, subject 

24 to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, gov25 erning appointments in the competitive service, and 


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1 to fix their compensation in accordance with the pro2 visions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 

3 of such title relating to classification and General 

4 Schedule pay rates. 

5 (7) To obligate and expend, for official reception 

6 and representation expenses, such amounts as may be 

7 made available through appropriations Acts. 

8 (8) To make available in the annual reports re9 quired under section 103 information on funds ex10 pended on administrative and managerial services by 

11 the Board of the United States Communications 

12 Agency, and the steps the Board has taken to reduce 

13 unnecessary overhead costs for each of the broad14 casting services. 

15 (9) To provide for the use of United States Gov16 ernment broadcasting capacity to the Freedom News 

17 Network. 

18 (10)(A) To procure temporary and intermittent 

19 personal services to the same extent as is authorized 

20 by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, at rates 

21 not to exceed the daily equivalent of the rate provided 

22 for positions classified above grade GS-15 of the Gen23 eral Schedule under section 5108 of such title. 

24 (B) To allow those individuals providing such 

25 services, while away from their homes or their regular 


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1 places of business, travel expenses (including per diem 

2 in lieu of subsistence) as authorized by section 5703 

3 of title 5, United States Code, for persons in the Gov4 ernment service employed intermittently, while so em5 ployed. 

6 (11) To utilize the provisions of titles III, IV, V, 

7 VII, VIII, IX, and X of the United States Information 

8 and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 

9 1431 et seq.), and section 6 of Reorganization Plan 

10 Number 2 of 1977, as in effect on the day before the 

11 effective date of title XIII of the Foreign Affairs Agen12 cies Consolidation Act of 1998, to the extent the 

13 Board considers necessary to carry out the provisions 

14 and purposes of this Act. 

15 (12) To utilize the authorities of any other stat16 ute, reorganization plan, executive order, regulation, 

17 agreement, determination, or other official document 

18 or proceeding that had been available to the Director 

19 of the United States Information Agency, the Inter20 national Broadcasting Bureau, or the Board of the 

21 Broadcasting Board of Governors before the date of 

22 the enactment of this Act. 

23 (13)(A) To provide for the payment of primary 

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1 ern Mariana Islands (CNMI) at a cost not to exceed 

2 expenses authorized by the Department of Defense for 

3 such schooling for dependents of members of the 

4 Armed Forces stationed in the Commonwealth, if the 

5 Board determines that schools available in the Com6 monwealth are unable to provide adequately for the 

7 education of the dependents of such personnel. 

8 (B) To provide transportation for dependents of 

9 such personnel between their places of residence and 

10 those schools for which expenses are provided under 

11 subparagraph (A), if the Board determines that such 

12 schools are not accessible by public means of transpor13 tation. 

14 (b) CONSULTATIONS.—The Chief Executive Officer of 

15 the United States International Communications Agency 

16 shall regularly consult with the Chief Executive Officer of 

17 the Freedom News Network and the Secretary of State as 

18 described in sections 108 and 109. 

19 SEC. 106. ROLE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE. 

20 To assist the Board of the United States International 

21 Communications Agency in carrying out its functions, the 

22 Secretary of State shall provide to the Board information 

23 in accordance with section 109(b), as well as guidance on 

24 United States foreign policy and public diplomacy prior25 ities, as the Secretary determines appropriate. 


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1 SEC. 107. ROLE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General of the De3 partment of State shall exercise the same authorities with 

4 respect to the United States International Communications 

5 Agency and the Freedom News Network as the Inspector 

6 General exercises with respect to the Department. 

7 (b) JOURNALIST INTEGRITY.—The Inspector General 

8 of the Department of State shall respect the journalistic in9 tegrity of all the broadcasters covered by this Act and may 

10 not evaluate the philosophical or political perspectives re11 flected in the content of the broadcasts of such broadcasters. 

12 SEC. 108. ENHANCED COORDINATION BETWEEN UNITED 

13 STATES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS 

14 AGENCY AND THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK; 

15 PROGRAM CONTENT SHARING; GRANTEE 

16 INDEPENDENCE. 

17 (a) MEETINGS.—The chair of the Board and Chief Ex18 ecutive Officer of the United States International Commu19 nications Agency shall meet at least on a quarterly basis 

20 with the chair and Chief Executive Officer, as identified 

21 in section 221, of the Freedom News Network to discuss mu22 tual issues of concern, including the following: 

23 (1) The strategic direction of their respective or24 ganizations, including target audiences. 

25 (2) Languages of information transmission. 

26 (3) Prioritization of funding allocations. 


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1 (4) Areas for greater collaboration. 

2 (5) Elimination of programming overlap. 

3 (6) Efficiencies that can be realized through best 

4 practices and lessons learned. 

5 (7) Sharing of program content. 

6 (b) INFORMATION SHARING.—The Chief Executive Of7 ficer of the United States International Broadcasting Agen8 cy and the Chief Executive Officer of the Freedom News Net9 work shall share all strategic planning documents, includ10 ing the following: 

11 (1) Results monitoring and evaluation. 

12 (2) Annual planning documents. 

13 (3) Audience surveys conducted. 

14 (4) Budget formulation documents. 

15 (c) PROGRAM CONTENT SHARING.—The United States 

16 International Communications Agency and the Freedom 

17 News Network shall make all original content available to 

18 each other through a shared platform in accordance with 

19 section 112(a)(3). 

20 (d) INDEPENDENCE OF FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK.— 

21 The United States International Communications Agency, 

22 while conducting management of the grant described in sec23 tion 110, shall avoid even the appearance of involvement 

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1 tween the United States International Communications 

2 Agency and Freedom News Network remain in accordance 

3 with this Act. 

4 SEC. 109. ENHANCED COORDINATION AMONG THE UNITED 

5 STATES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS 

6 AGENCY, THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK, 

7 AND THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE; FREEDOM 

8 NEWS NETWORK INDEPENDENCE. 

9 (a) COORDINATION MEETINGS.—The Chief Executive 

10 Officer of the United States International Communications 

11 Agency and the Chief Executive Officer of the Freedom News 

12 Network shall meet, at least on a quarterly basis, with the 

13 Secretary of State to— 

14 (1) review and evaluate broadcast activities; 

15 (2) eliminate overlap of programming; and 

16 (3) determine long-term strategies for inter17 national broadcasting to ensure such strategies are in 

18 accordance with the broad foreign policy interests of 

19 the United States. 

20 (b) STRATEGIC PLANNING DOCUMENTS.—The Chief 

21 Executive Officer of the United States International Com22 munications Agency, the Chief Executive Officer of the Free23 dom News Network, and the Secretary of State shall share 

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1 duced by the Agency, the Freedom News Network, and the 

2 Department of State. 

3 (c) FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK INDEPENDENCE.—The 

4 Department of State, while coordinating with the Freedom 

5 News Network in accordance with subsection (a), shall 

6 avoid even the appearance of involvement in the daily oper7 ations, decisions, and management of the Freedom News 

8 Network. 

9 SEC. 110. GRANTS TO THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Chief Executive Officer of the 

11 United States International Communications Agency shall 

12 make grants to RFE/RL, Incorporated, Radio Free Asia, 

13 or the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Incorporated 

14 only after the Chief Executive Officer of the Agency and 

15 the Chief Executive Officer of Freedom News Network cer16 tify to the appropriate congressional committees that the 

17 headquarters of the Freedom News Network and its senior 

18 administrative and managerial staff are in a location 

19 which ensures economy, operational effectiveness, and ac20 countability, and the following conditions have been satis21 fied: 

22 (1) RFE/RL, Incorporated, Radio Free Asia, 

23 and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Incor24 porated have submitted to the Chief Executive Officer 

25 of the United States International Communications 


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1 Agency a plan for consolidation and reconstitution as 

2 described in section 211 under the new corporate 

3 name ‘‘Freedom News Network’’ with a single organi4 zational structure and management framework, as de5 scribed in section 221. 

6 (2) The necessary steps towards the consolidation 

7 described in paragraph (1) have been completed, in8 cluding the selection of a Board, Chair, and Chief Ex9 ecutive Officer for the Freedom News Network, the es10 tablishment of bylaws to govern the Freedom News 

11 Network, and the filing of articles of incorporation. 

12 (3) A plan for content sharing has been devel13 oped in accordance with section 112(a)(3). 

14 (4) A strategic plan for programming implemen15 tation has been developed in accordance with section 

16 222(c). 

17 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act, the Board of the United States 

19 International Communications Agency shall submit to Con20 gress a report on the status of any grants made to the Free21 dom News Network. 

22 (c) LIMITATION ON GRANT AMOUNTS.—The total 

23 amount of grants made for the operating costs of the Free24 dom News Network may not exceed $270,000,000 in fiscal 

25 year 2015. 


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1 (d) ALTERNATIVE GRANTEE.—If the Chief Executive 

2 Officer of the United States International Communications 

3 Agency, after consultation with the Board of the Agency 

4 and the appropriate congressional committees, determines 

5 at any time that the Freedom News Network is not carrying 

6 out the mission described in section 212 and adhering to 

7 the standards and principles described in section 213 in 

8 an effective and economical manner for which a grant has 

9 been awarded, the Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, 

10 upon approval of the Board, may award to another entity 

11 the grant at issue to carry out such functions after soliciting 

12 and considering applications from eligible entities in such 

13 manner and accompanied by such information as the 

14 Board may require. 

15 (e) NOT A FEDERAL ENTITY.—Nothing in this Act 

16 may be construed to make the Freedom News Network a 

17 Federal agency or instrumentality. 

18 (f) AUTHORITY.—Grants authorized under this section 

19 for the United States International Communications Agen20 cy shall be available to make annual grants to the Freedom 

21 News Network for the purpose of carrying out the mission 

22 described in section 212 and adhering to the standards and 

23 principles described in section 213. 

24 (g) GRANT AGREEMENT.—Grants authorized under 

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1 utive Officer of the United States International Commu2 nications Agency shall only be made in accordance with 

3 a grant agreement. Such grant agreement shall include the 

4 following provisions: 

5 (1) A grant shall be used only for activities in 

6 accordance with carrying out the mission described in 

7 section 212 and adhering to the standards and prin8 ciples described in section 213. 

9 (2) The Freedom News Network shall comply 

10 with the requirements of this section. 

11 (3) Failure to comply with the requirements of 

12 this section may result in suspension or termination 

13 of a grant without further obligation by the United 

14 States International Communications Agency or the 

15 United States. 

16 (4) Use of broadcasting technology owned and 

17 operated by the United States International Commu18 nications Agency shall be made available through an 

19 International Cooperative Administrative Support 

20 Service (ICASS) agreement or memorandum of un21 derstanding. 

22 (5) The Freedom News Network shall, upon re23 quest, provide to the Chief Executive Officer of the 

24 United States International Communications Agency 


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1 documentation which details the expenditure of any 

2 grant funds. 

3 (6) A grant may not be used to require the Free4 dom News Network to comply with any requirements 

5 other than the requirements specified in this Act. 

6 (7) A grant may not be used to allocate resources 

7 within the Freedom News Network in a manner that 

8 is inconsistent with the Freedom News Network stra9 tegic plan described in section 222(c). 

10 (h) PROHIBITIONS ON THE USE OF GRANTS.—Grants 

11 authorized under this section may not be used for the fol12 lowing purposes: 

13 (1)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B) 

14 or (C), to pay any salary or other compensation, or 

15 enter into any contract providing for the payment of 

16 salary or compensation, in excess of the rates estab17 lished for comparable positions under title 5, United 

18 States Code, or the foreign relations laws of the 

19 United States, except that no employee may be paid 

20 a salary or other compensation in excess of the rate 

21 of pay payable for level II of the Executive Schedule 

22 under section 5315 of such title. 

23 (B) Salary and other compensation limitations 

24 under subparagraph (A) shall not apply with respect 

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1 ing a salary or other compensation in excess of such 

2 limitations before the date of the enactment of this 

3 Act. 

4 (C) Notwithstanding the limitations specified in 

5 subparagraph (A), grants authorized under this sec6 tion may be used by the Freedom News Network to 

7 pay up to six employees employed in the Washington, 

8 D.C. area, salary or other compensation not to exceed 

9 the rate of pay payable for level I of the Executive 

10 Schedule under section 5314 of title 5, United States 

11 Code, except that such shall not apply to the Chief 

12 Executive Officer of the Freedom News Network in ac13 cordance with section 221(d). 

14 (2) For any activity intended to influence the 

15 passage or defeat of legislation being considered by 

16 Congress. 

17 (3) To enter into a contract or obligation to pay 

18 severance payments for voluntary separation for em19 ployees hired after December 1, 1990, except as may 

20 be required by United States law or the laws of the 

21 country where such an employee is stationed. 

22 (4) For first class travel for any employee of the 

23 Freedom News Network, or the relative of any such 

24 employee. 


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1 SEC. 111. OTHER PERSONNEL AND COMPENSATION LIMITA2 TIONS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the organizational and 

4 personnel restrictions described in subsection (c), the Chief 

5 Executive Officer of the United States International Com6 munications Agency shall have the discretion to determine 

7 the distribution of all personnel within the Agency, subject 

8 to the approval of the Board of the Agency. 

9 (b) LIMITATION ON COMPENSATION.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—No employee of the United 

11 States International Communications Agency, other 

12 than the Chief Executive Officer or Director of the 

13 Voice of America, shall be eligible to receive com14 pensation at a rate in excess of step 10 of GS-15 of 

15 the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, 

16 United States Code. 

17 (2) EXCEPTION.—The limitation described in 

18 paragraph (1) does not apply in the case of members 

19 of the Board in accordance with section 102(d) or af20 fect the rights of employees covered under the Fair 

21 Labor Standards Act of 1938. 

22 (c) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN NEW EMPLOYMENT.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date of the 

24 enactment of this Act and ending on the date that is 

25 five years after such date, the United States Inter26 national Communications Agency may not fill any 


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1 currently unfilled full-time or part-time position com2 pensated at an annual rate of basic pay for grade 

3 GS-14 or GS-15 of the General Schedule under sec4 tion 5332 of title 5, United States Code, including 

5 any currently filled position in which the incumbent 

6 resigns, retires, or otherwise leaves such position dur7 ing the such five year period. 

8 (2) WAIVER.—The Chief Executive Officer of the 

9 United States International Communications Agency 

10 may waive the prohibition specified in paragraph (1) 

11 if the position is determined essential to the func12 tioning of the Agency and documented as such in the 

13 report required under section 112(a), or necessary for 

14 the acquisition of skills or knowledge not sufficiently 

15 represented in the current workforce of the Agency. 

16 The Chief Executive Officer of the Agency shall con17 sult with the appropriate congressional committees 

18 before issuing a waiver under this paragraph. 

19 (d) CONTINUATION OF FEDERAL STATUS.—Nothing in 

20 this Act may be interpreted to change the Federal status 

21 or rights of employees of the Voice of America or the Inter22 national Broadcasting Bureau by the consolidation and es23 tablishment of the United States International Communica24 tions Agency. 


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1 SEC. 112. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS OF THE UNITED 

2 STATES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS 

3 AGENCY. 

4 (a) REORGANIZATION REPORT.—Not later than 180 

5 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Chief 

6 Executive Officer of the United States International Com7 munications Agency shall submit to the appropriate Con8 gressional committees a report that includes the following: 

9 (1) A plan to assess and provide recommenda10 tions on the appropriate size and necessity of all cur11 rent offices and positions (also referred to as a ‘‘staff12 ing pattern’’) within the Agency, including full-time 

13 employee positions rated at the Senior Executive 

14 Service (SES) level or at GS-14 or GS-15 on the Gen15 eral Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United 

16 States Code. Such plan shall include a detailed orga17 nizational structure that delineates lines of authority 

18 and reporting between junior staff, management, and 

19 leadership. 

20 (2) A plan to consolidate the Voice of America 

21 and the International Broadcasting Bureau into a 

22 single Federal entity identified as the ‘‘United States 

23 International Communications Agency’’, and how the 

24 structure and alignment of resources support the ful25 fillment of the Agency’s mission and standards and 

26 principles as described in sections 5 and 122. 


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1 (3) A plan for developing a platform to share all 

2 programming content between the United States 

3 International Communications Agency and the Free4 dom News Network, including making available for 

5 distribution all programming content licensed or pro6 duced by the Agency and the Freedom News Network, 

7 and expanding the functionality of the platforms al8 ready in existence, such as the web content manage9 ment system ‘‘Pangea’’. 

10 (4) A joint plan written with the Chief Executive 

11 Officer of the Freedom News Network to coordinate 

12 the transition of language services between the United 

13 States International Communications Agency and the 

14 Freedom News Network in accordance with sections 6, 

15 123, 124, 212, and 213. 

16 (b) CONTRACTING REPORT.—The Chief Executive Offi17 cer of the United States International Communications 

18 Agency shall annually submit to the appropriate congres19 sional committees a report on the Agency’s compliance with 

20 the Federal Acquisition Regulation (the ‘‘FAR’’) and the 

21 Anti-Deficiency Act, including a review of contracts award22 ed on a non-competitive basis, compliance with the FAR 

23 requirement for publicizing contract actions, the use of any 

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1 ity, and processes for contract oversight in compliance with 

2 the FAR. 

3 (c) LISTENERSHIP REPORT.—The Chief Executive Of4 ficer of the United States International Communications 

5 Agency shall annually submit to the appropriate congres6 sional committees a report that details the transmission ca7 pacities, market penetration, and audience listenership of 

8 all mediums of international communication deployed by 

9 the United States International Communications Agency, 

10 including a plan for how target audiences can be reached 

11 if the first medium of delivery is unavailable. 

12 (d) GAO REPORT.—Every five years after the date of 

13 the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 

14 United States shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

15 committees a report that reviews the effectiveness of content 

16 sharing between the United States International Commu17 nications Agency and the Freedom News Network and 

18 makes recommendations on how content sharing can be im19 proved. 

20 (e) LANGUAGE REPORT.—Not later than one year after 

21 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Chief Executive 

22 Officer of the United States International Communications 

23 Agency and the Chief Executive Officer of the Freedom News 

24 Network shall submit to the appropriate congressional com25 mittees a joint report detailing— 


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1 (1) information outlining the criteria and anal2 ysis used to determine broadcast recipient countries 

3 and regions; and 

4 (2) an initial list of broadcast countries and re5 gions. 

6 Subtitle B—The Voice of America 

7 SEC. 121. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

8 It is the sense of Congress that— 

9 (1) the Voice of America has been an indispen10 sable element of United States foreign policy and pub11 lic diplomacy efforts since 1942, and should remain 

12 the flagship brand of the United States International 

13 Communications Agency; 

14 (2) the Voice of America has been a reliable 

15 source of accurate, objective, and comprehensive news 

16 and related programming and content for the mil17 lions of people around the world who cannot obtain 

18 such news and related programming and content from 

19 indigenous media outlets; 

20 (3) the Voice of America’s success over more than 

21 seven decades has created valuable brand identity and 

22 international recognition that justifies the mainte23 nance of the Voice of America; 

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1 ernment efforts to communicate with foreign popu2 lations; and 

3 (5) despite its tremendous historical success, the 

4 Voice of America would benefit substantially from a 

5 recalibration of Federal international broadcasting 

6 agencies and resources, which would provide the Voice 

7 of America with greater mission focus and flexibility 

8 in the deployment of news, programming, and con9 tent. 

10 SEC. 122. PRINCIPLES OF THE VOICE OF AMERICA. 

11 The Voice of America shall adhere to the following 

12 principles in the course of fulfilling its duties and respon13 sibilities: 

14 (1) Serving as a consistently reliable and au15 thoritative source of news on the United States, its 

16 policies, its people, and the international develop17 ments that affect the United States. 

18 (2) Providing accurate, objective, and com19 prehensive information, with the understanding that 

20 these three values provide credibility among global 

21 news audiences. 

22 (3) Presenting the official policies of the United 

23 States, and related discussions and opinions about 

24 those policies, clearly and effectively. 


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1 (4) Representing the whole of the United States, 

2 and shall accordingly work to produce programming 

3 and content that presents a balanced and comprehen4 sive projection of the diversity of thought and institu5 tions of the United States. 

6 SEC. 123. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE VOICE OF 

7 AMERICA. 

8 The Voice of America shall have the following duties 

9 and responsibilities: 

10 (1) Producing accurate, objective, and com11 prehensive news and related programming that is 

12 consistent with and promotes the broad foreign poli13 cies of the United States. 

14 (2) Producing news and related programming 

15 and content that accurately represents the diversity of 

16 thoughts and institutions of the United States as a 

17 whole. 

18 (3) Presenting the law and policies of the United 

19 States clearly and effectively. 

20 (4) Promoting the civil and responsible exchange 

21 of information and differences of opinion regarding 

22 policies, issues, and current events. 

23 (5) Making all of its produced news and related 

24 programming and content available to the Freedom 

25 News Network for use and distribution. 


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1 (6) Producing or otherwise allowing editorials, 

2 commentary, and programming, in consultation with 

3 the Department of State, that present the official 

4 views of the United States Government and its offi5 cials. 

6 (7) Maximizing foreign national information ac7 cess through both the use of existing broadcasting tools 

8 and resources and the development and dissemination 

9 of circumvention technology. 

10 (8) Providing training and technical support for 

11 independent indigenous media and journalist enter12 prises in order to facilitate or enhance independent 

13 media environments and outlets abroad. 

14 (9) Reaching identified foreign audiences in 

15 local languages and dialects when possible, particu16 larly when such audiences form a distinct ethnic, cul17 tural, or religious group within a country critical to 

18 United States national security interests. 

19 (10) Being capable of providing a broadcasting 

20 surge capacity under circumstances where overseas 

21 disasters, crises, or other events require increased or 

22 heightened international public diplomacy engage23 ment. 


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1 SEC. 124. LIMITATION ON VOICE OF AMERICA NEWS, PRO2 GRAMMING, AND CONTENT; EXCEPTION FOR 

3 BROADCASTING TO CUBA. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

5 (b), the Voice of America shall be limited to providing re6 porting in accordance with the principles specified in sec7 tion 122. Nothing in this section may preclude the Voice 

8 of America from broadcasting programming content pro9 duced by the Freedom News Network. 

10 (b) EXCEPTION FOR BROADCASTING TO CUBA.—Radio 

11 Marti and Television Marti, which constitute the Office of 

12 Cuba Broadcasting, shall continue programming and con13 tent production consistent with the mission and activities 

14 as described in the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act (Public 

15 Law 98–111) and the Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act 

16 (Public Law 101–246), and continue existing within the 

17 Voice of America of the United States International Com18 munications Agency, established in section 101. 

19 SEC. 125. DIRECTOR OF VOICE OF AMERICA. 

20 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be a Director of the 

21 Voice of America, who shall be responsible for executing the 

22 duties and responsibilities of the Voice of America described 

23 in subsection (b). 

24 (b) DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Director of 

25 the Voice of America shall, subject to the final approval of 

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1 national Communications Agency carry out the following 

2 duties and responsibilities: 

3 (1) Determine the organizational structure of, 

4 and personnel allocation or relocation within, the 

5 Voice of America, subject to section 105. 

6 (2) Make recommendations to the Chief Execu7 tive Officer of the United States International Com8 munications Agency regarding the production, devel9 opment, and termination of Voice of America news 

10 programming and content. 

11 (3) Make recommendations to the Chief Execu12 tive Officer of the United States International Com13 munications Agency about the establishment, termi14 nation, prioritization, and adjustments of language 

15 services utilized by the Voice of America to reach its 

16 international audience. 

17 (4) Allocate funding and material resources 

18 under the jurisdiction of the Voice of America for the 

19 furtherance of the other duties and responsibilities es20 tablished under this subsection. 

21 (5) Oversee the daily operations of the Voice of 

22 America, including programming content. 

23 (c) APPOINTMENT AND QUALIFICATIONS OF DIREC24 TOR.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The position of Director of the 

2 Voice of America shall be filled by a person who shall 

3 serve at the pleasure of the Chief Executive Officer of 

4 the United States International Communications 

5 Agency. 

6 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to be appointed 

7 Director of the Voice of America, a person shall have 

8 at least two of the following qualifications: 

9 (A) Prior, extensive experience managing or 

10 operating a private-sector media or journalist 

11 enterprise. 

12 (B) Prior, extensive experience managing or 

13 operating a large organization. 

14 (C) Prior, extensive experience engaged in 

15 mass media or journalist program development, 

16 including the development of circumvention tech17 nologies. 

18 (D) Prior, extensive experience engaged in 

19 international journalism or other related activi20 ties, including the training of international jour21 nalists and the promotion of democratic institu22 tional reforms abroad. 

23 (3) COMPENSATION.—Any Director who is hired 

24 after the date of the enactment of this Act shall be en25 titled to receive compensation at a rate equal to the 


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1 annual rate of basic pay for level III of the Executive 

2 Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States 

3 Code. 

4 Subtitle C—General Provisions 

5 SEC. 131. FEDERAL AGENCY COORDINATION IN SUPPORT 

6 OF UNITED STATES PUBLIC DIPLOMACY. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Board of the United States 

8 International Communications Agency and the Freedom 

9 News Network shall conduct periodic, unclassified consulta10 tions with the Department of State, the United States Agen11 cy for International Development, the Department of De12 fense, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 

13 for the purpose of assessing the following: 

14 (1) Progress toward democratization, the devel15 opment of free and independent media outlets, and 

16 the free flow of information in countries that receive 

17 programming and content from the United States 

18 International Communications Agency and the Free19 dom News Network. 

20 (2) Foreign languages that have increased or de21 creased in strategic importance, and the factors sup22 porting such assessments. 

23 (3) Any other international developments, in24 cluding developments with regional or country-spe25 cific significance, that might be of value in assisting 


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1 the United States International Communications 

2 Agency and the Freedom News Network in the devel3 opment of their programming and content. 

4 (b) GUIDANCE.—The Board of the United States Inter5 national Communications Agency shall use the unclassified 

6 consultations required under subsection (a) as guidance for 

7 its distribution and calibration of Federal resources in sup8 port of United States public diplomacy. 

9 SEC. 132. FEDERAL AGENCY ASSISTANCE AND COORDINA10 TION WITH THE UNITED STATES INTER11 NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY AND 

12 THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK DURING 

13 INTERNATIONAL BROADCAST SURGES. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to a formal request from 

15 the Chair of the Board of the United States International 

16 Communications Agency, Federal agency heads shall assist 

17 and coordinate with the Agency to facilitate a temporary 

18 broadcasting surge or enhance transmission capacity for 

19 such a temporary broadcasting surge for the Agency, the 

20 Freedom News Network, or both. 

21 (b) ACTIONS.—In accordance with subsection (a), Fed22 eral agency heads shall assist or coordinate with the United 

23 States International Communications Agency by— 

24 (1) supplying or facilitating access to, or use 

25 of— 


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1 (A) United States Government-owned trans2 mission capacity, including the use of trans3 mission facilities, equipment, resources, and per4 sonnel; and 

5 (B) other non-transmission-related United 

6 States Government-owned facilities, equipment, 

7 resources, and personnel; 

8 (2) communicating and coordinating with for9 eign host governments on behalf of, or in conjunction 

10 with, the Agency or the Freedom News Network; 

11 (3) providing, or assisting in the obtaining of, 

12 in-country security services for the safety and protec13 tion of Agency or Freedom News Network personnel; 

14 and 

15 (4) providing or facilitating access to any other 

16 United States Government-owned resources. 

17 (c) PROHIBITION.—Notwithstanding any other provi18 sion of law, neither Federal agency heads nor their agencies 

19 shall receive any reimbursement or compensatory appro20 priations for complying with implementing this section. 


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1 SEC. 133. FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK RIGHT OF FIRST RE2 FUSAL IN INSTANCES OF FEDERAL DISPOSAL 

3 OF RADIO OR TELEVISION BROADCAST 

4 TRANSMISSION FACILITIES OR EQUIPMENT. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi6 sion of law, it shall be the policy of the United States Inter7 national Communications Agency to, in the event it intends 

8 to dispose of any radio or television broadcast transmission 

9 facilities or equipment, provide the Freedom News Network 

10 with the right of first refusal with respect to the acquisition 

11 of such facilities and equipment. 

12 (b) TRANSFER AND DISPOSAL.—Pursuant to sub13 section (a)— 

14 (1) in the event the Freedom News Network is 

15 willing to accept the facilities and equipment referred 

16 to in such subsection, the United States International 

17 Communications Agency shall transfer to the Freedom 

18 News Network such facilities and equipment at no 

19 cost to the Freedom News Network; or 

20 (2) in the event the Freedom News Network opts 

21 to not accept such facilities and equipment, the 

22 United States International Communications Agency 

23 may sell such facilities and equipment at market 

24 price, and retain any revenue from such sales. 

25 (c) RULES REGARDING CERTAIN FUNDS.—Pursuant 

26 to subsections (b) and (c), any revenues that the United 


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1 States International Communications Agency shall derive 

2 from such sales— 

3 (1) shall not negatively impact subsequent ap4 propriations to the Agency, and 

5 (2) shall be used entirely for the purposes or re6 search, development, and deployment of innovative 

7 broadcasting or circumvention technology. 

8 SEC. 134. REPEAL OF THE UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL 

9 BROADCASTING ACT OF 1994. 

10 The United States International Broadcasting Act of 

11 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.; title III of Public Law 103– 

12 236) is repealed (and the items relating to title III in the 

13 table of contents of such Public Law are struck). 

14 SEC. 135. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

15 This title shall take effect on the date that is 180 days 

16 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

17 TITLE II—THE FREEDOM NEWS 

18 NETWORK 

19 SEC. 201. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

20 It is the sense of Congress that RFE/RL, Incorporated, 

21 Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Net22 works, Incorporated share a common mission with distinct 

23 geographic foci, and should therefore be merged into a single 

24 organization, with distinct marketing brands to provide the 


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1 news and related programming and content in countries 

2 where free media are not established. 

3 Subtitle A—Consolidation of 

4 Existing Grantee Organizations 

5 SEC. 211. FORMATION OF THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK 

6 FROM EXISTING GRANTEES. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—When the conditions specified in 

8 section 110 are satisfied, the Freedom News Network, com9 prised of the consolidation of RFE/RL Incorporated, Radio 

10 Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, In11 corporated, shall exist to carry out all international broad12 casting activities supported by the United States Govern13 ment, in accordance with sections 212 and 213. 

14 (b) MAINTENANCE OF THE EXISTING INDIVIDUAL

15 GRANTEE BRANDS.—RFE/RL, Incorporated, Radio Free 

16 Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Incor17 porated shall remain brand names under which news and 

18 related programming and content may be disseminated by 

19 the Freedom News Network. Additional brands may be cre20 ated as necessary. 

21 SEC. 212. MISSION OF THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK. 

22 The Freedom News Network established under section 

23 211 shall— 


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1 (1) provide uncensored local and regional news 

2 and analysis to people in societies where a robust, in3 digenous, independent, and free media does not exist; 

4 (2) strengthen civil societies by promoting demo5 cratic values and promoting equality and the rights 

6 of the individual, including for marginalized groups, 

7 such as women and minorities; 

8 (3) help countries improve their indigenous ca9 pacity to enhance media professionalism and inde10 pendence, and develop partnerships with local media 

11 outlets, as appropriate; and 

12 (4) promote access to uncensored sources of infor13 mation, especially via the internet, and use all effec14 tive and efficient mediums of communication to reach 

15 target audiences. 

16 SEC. 213. STANDARDS AND PRINCIPLES OF THE FREEDOM 

17 NEWS NETWORK. 

18 The broadcasting of the Freedom News Network shall— 

19 (1) be consistent with the broad foreign policy 

20 objectives of the United States; 

21 (2) be consistent with the international tele22 communications policies and treaty obligations of the 

23 United States; 

24 (3) be conducted in accordance with the highest 

25 professional standards of broadcast journalism; 


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1 (4) be based on reliable information about its po2 tential audience; 

3 (5) be designed so as to effectively reach a sig4 nificant audience; and 

5 (6) prioritize programming to populations in 

6 countries without independent indigenous media out7 lets. 

8 Subtitle B—Organization of the 

9 Freedom News Network 

10 SEC. 221. GOVERNANCE OF THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK. 

11 (a) BOARD OF THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK.—A 

12 board shall oversee the Freedom News Network and consist 

13 of nine individuals with a demonstrated background in 

14 media or the promotion of democracy and experience in 

15 measuring media impact. 

16 (b) COMPOSITION OF FIRST BOARD OF THE FREEDOM

17 NEWS NETWORK.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act, the Chairs and Ranking Mem19 bers of the appropriate congressional committees shall iden20 tify candidates for the first board of the Freedom News Net21 work, direct the appointment of board members, and select 

22 the first chair of the board of the Freedom News Network 

23 as follows: 


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1 (1) Two individuals shall be appointed by the 

2 Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

3 House of Representatives. 

4 (2) Two individuals shall be appointed by the 

5 Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

6 of the House of Representatives. 

7 (3) Two individuals shall be appointed by the 

8 Chair of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

9 Senate. 

10 (4) Two individuals shall be appointed by the 

11 Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Rela12 tions of the Senate. 

13 (5) One individual shall be appointed by con14 sensus of the Chairs and Ranking Members of the 

15 Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep16 resentatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations 

17 of the Senate. 

18 (c) OPERATIONS OF THE FIRST BOARD OF THE FREE19 DOM NEWS NETWORK.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The board members of the 

21 first board of the Freedom News Network shall deter22 mine the bylaws, select the Chief Executive Officer of 

23 the Freedom News Network, and file articles of incor24 poration under the corporate name ‘‘Freedom News 

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1 work may change the organization’s name in accord2 ance with such bylaws. 

3 (2) TERM LIMITS.—The board members of the 

4 first board of the Freedom News Network may not 

5 serve more than a three-year term, and shall be re6 placed in accordance with the bylaws referred to in 

7 paragraph (1) and the succession process described in 

8 paragraph (3). 

9 (3) SUCCESSION OF BOARD MEMBERS.—The 

10 board members of the first board of the Freedom News 

11 Network and all subsequent boards shall fill vacancies 

12 on the board due to death, resignation, removal, or 

13 term expiration through an election process described 

14 in the bylaws referred to in paragraph (1) and in ac15 cordance with the principle of a ‘‘self-replenishing’’ 

16 body. 

17 (d) COMPENSATION OF BOARD AND OFFICERS OF THE

18 FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK.—Members of the board of the 

19 Freedom News Network may not receive any fee, salary, or 

20 remuneration of any kind for their service as members, ex21 cept that such members may be reimbursed for reasonable 

22 expenses, such as board-related travel, incurred with ap23 proval of the board upon presentation of vouchers. No offi24 cers of the Freedom News Network, other than the Chief Ex25 ecutive Officer, shall be eligible to receive compensation at 


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1 a rate in excess of the annual rate of basic pay for level 

2 II on the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, 

3 United States Code. 

4 (e) ABOLISHMENT OF EXISTING BOARDS.—The boards 

5 of directors of RFE/RL, Incorporated, Radio Free Asia, and 

6 the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Incorporated in 

7 existence on the day before the date of the enactment of this 

8 Act shall be abolished on the date of the first official meeting 

9 of the first board of the Freedom News Network. 

10 (f) CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.—The Chief Executive 

11 Officer of the Freedom News Network shall serve at the 

12 pleasure of the board of the Freedom News Network, and 

13 be responsible for the day-to-day management and oper14 ations of the Freedom News Network, including the selection 

15 of individuals for management positions. The board of the 

16 Freedom News Network may add to the duties and respon17 sibilities of the Chief Executive Officer as the board deter18 mines appropriate, and such additional duties and respon19 sibilities shall be codified in the bylaws of the Freedom News 

20 Network. 

21 (g) PLAN FOR CONSOLIDATION OF EXISTING INDI22 VIDUAL GRANTEES.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 

24 the date of the first official meeting of the first board 

25 of the Freedom News Network, the chair of the board 


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1 of the Freedom News Network shall submit a report 

2 to, and consult with, the appropriate congressional 

3 committees on the plan to consolidate RFE/RL, In4 corporated, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East 

5 Broadcasting Networks, Incorporated into a single 

6 non-Federal grantee organization. 

7 (2) COMPONENTS.—The consolidation plan re8 ferred to in paragraph (1) shall include the following 

9 components: 

10 (A) The location and distribution of em11 ployees, including administrative, managerial, 

12 and technical staff, of the Freedom News Network 

13 that will be located within and outside the met14 ropolitan area of Washington, D.C. 

15 (B) An organizational chart identifying the 

16 managerial and supervisory lines of authority 

17 among all employees of the Freedom News Net18 work. 

19 (3) TIME FOR IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 

20 three years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

21 the chair of the board of the Freedom News Network 

22 shall fully implement the consolidation plan referred 

23 to in paragraph (1) after consultation with the ap24 propriate congressional committees. 


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1 (4) REPORT.—Not later than five years after the 

2 date on which initial funding is provided for the pur3 pose of operating the Freedom News Network, the 

4 chair of the board of the Freedom News Network shall 

5 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 

6 report that details the following: 

7 (A) Whether the Freedom News Network is 

8 technically sound and cost-effective. 

9 (B) Whether the Freedom News Network 

10 consistently meets the standards for quality and 

11 impact established by this title. 

12 (C) Whether the Freedom News Network is 

13 receiving a sufficient audience to warrant its 

14 continued operation. 

15 (D) The extent to which the Freedom News 

16 Network’s programming and content is already 

17 being received by the target audience from other 

18 credible indigenous or external sources. 

19 (E) The extent to which the foreign policy 

20 and national security interests of the United 

21 States are being served by maintaining oper22 ations of the Freedom News Network. 

23 SEC. 222. BUDGET OF THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The annual budget of the Freedom 

25 News Network shall consist of the following: 


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1 (1) A grant described in section 110, consisting 

2 of the total grants to RFE/RL, Incorporated, Radio 

3 Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Net4 works, Incorporated before the date of the enactment 

5 of this Act. 

6 (2) Any grants or transfers from other Federal 

7 agencies. 

8 (3) Other funds described in subsection (b). 

9 (b) OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING.—The Freedom 

10 News Network may, to the extent authorized by its board 

11 and in accordance with applicable laws and the mission 

12 of the Freedom News Network under section 212 and eligible 

13 broadcast areas under section 6, collect and utilize non-Fed14 eral funds, except that the Freedom News Network may not 

15 accept funds from the following: 

16 (1) Any foreign governments or foreign govern17 ment officials. 

18 (2) Any agents, representatives, or surrogates of 

19 any foreign government or foreign government offi20 cial. 

21 (3) Any foreign-owned corporations or any sub22 sidiaries of any foreign-owned corporation, regardless 

23 of whether such subsidiary is foreign-owned. 


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1 (4) Any foreign national or individual who is 

2 not either a citizen or a legal permanent resident of 

3 the United States. 

4 (c) ANNUAL STRATEGIC PLAN OF THE FREEDOM NEWS

5 NETWORK.—The Freedom News Network shall submit to the 

6 appropriate congressional committees and the United 

7 States International Communications Agency an annual 

8 strategic plan to satisfy the requirements specified in sec9 tion 110. Each such strategic plan shall outline the fol10 lowing: 

11 (1) The strategic goals and objectives of the Free12 dom News Network for the upcoming fiscal year. 

13 (2) The alignment of the Freedom News Net14 work’s resources with the strategic goals and objectives 

15 referred to in paragraph (1). 

16 (3) Clear benchmarks that establish the progress 

17 made towards achieving the strategic goals and objec18 tives referred to in paragraph (1). 

19 (4) A plan to monitor and evaluate the success 

20 of the Freedom News Network’s broadcasting efforts. 

21 (5) A reflective analysis on the activities on the 

22 past fiscal year. 

23 (6) Any changes to facility leases, contracts, or 

24 ownership that would result in the relocation of staff 

25 or personnel. 


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1 (d) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

2 that administrative and managerial costs for operation of 

3 the Freedom News Network should be kept to a minimum 

4 and, to the maximum extent feasible, should not exceed the 

5 costs that would have been incurred if RFE/RL, Incor6 porated, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broad7 casting Networks, Incorporated had been operated as inde8 pendent grantees or as a Federal entity within the Voice 

9 of America. 

10 SEC. 223. ASSISTANCE FROM OTHER GOVERNMENT AGEN11 CIES. 

12 (a) SURPLUS PROPERTIES.—In order to assist the 

13 Freedom News Network in carrying out the provisions of 

14 this title, any agency or instrumentality of the United 

15 States may sell, loan, lease, or grant property (including 

16 interests therein) to the Freedom News Network as nec17 essary. 

18 (b) FACILITIES AND BROADCASTING INFRASTRUC19 TURE.—The United States International Communications 

20 Agency and the Freedom News Network shall negotiate an 

21 International Cooperative Administrative Support Service 

22 (ICASS) agreement or memorandum of understanding per23 mitting the continued use of technological infrastructure for 

24 broadcasting and information dissemination, except that 

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1 ices through negotiated contracts with private-sector pro2 viders. 

3 SEC. 224. REPORTS BY THE OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR 

4 GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE; 

5 AUDITS BY GAO. 

6 (a) IG REPORTS.—The Inspector General of the De7 partment of State shall, as appropriate, submit to the ap8 propriate congressional committees reports on management 

9 practices of the Freedom News Network, including financial 

10 reports on unobligated balances. 

11 (b) GAO AUDITS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Financial transactions of the 

13 Freedom News Network, as such relate to functions 

14 carried out under this Act, may be audited by the 

15 Government Accountability Office in accordance with 

16 such principles and procedures and under such rules 

17 and regulations as may be prescribed by the Comp18 troller General of the United States. Any such audit 

19 shall be conducted at the place or places where ac20 counts of the Freedom News Network are normally 

21 kept. 

22 (2) ACCESS.—Representatives of the Government 

23 Accountability Office shall have access to all books, 

24 accounts, records, reports, files, papers, and property 

25 belonging to or in use by the Freedom News Network 


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1 pertaining to the financial transactions referred to in 

2 paragraph (1) and necessary to facilitate an audit in 

3 accordance with such paragraph. All such books, ac4 counts, records, reports, files, papers, and property of 

5 the Freedom News Network shall remain in the pos6 session and custody of the Freedom News Network. 

7 (c) TRANSFER OF FUNDS.—Notwithstanding any other 

8 provision of law, one percent of the funds made available 

9 by the United States International Communications Agen10 cy shall be transferred to the Inspector General of the De11 partment of State to cover the expenses of carrying out the 

12 activities of the Inspector General under this section. 

13 SEC. 225. AMENDMENTS TO THE UNITED STATES INFORMA14 TION AND EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE ACT OF 

15 1948. 

16 The United States Information and Educational Ex17 change Act of 1948 is amended— 

18 (1) in title V (22 U.S.C. 1461 et seq.), by strik19 ing ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘United States International Communications Agen21 cy’’ each place it appears; 

22 (2) by amending paragraph (1) of section 501(b) 

23 (22 U.S.C. 1461(b)) to read as follows: 

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1 tions Agency may, upon request and reimbursement of the 

2 reasonable costs incurred in fulfilling such a request, make 

3 available, in the United States, motion pictures, films, 

4 video, audio, and other materials disseminated abroad pur5 suant to this Act. Any reimbursement pursuant to this 

6 paragraph shall be credited to the applicable appropriation 

7 account of the Department of State or the United States 

8 International Communications Agency, as appropriate. 

9 The Secretary and the United States International Commu10 nications Agency shall issue necessary regulations.’’; 

11 (3) by repealing sections 504 and 505 (22 U.S.C. 

12 1464 and 1464a); 

13 (4) by redesignating section 506 (22 U.S.C. 

14 1464b) as section 504; 

15 (5) in section 504, as so redesignated, in sub16 section (c), in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

17 striking ‘‘Board’’ each place it appears and inserting 

18 ‘‘Agency’’; 

19 (6) in clause (iii) of section 604(d)(1)(A) (22 

20 U.S.C. 1469(d)(1)(A)), by striking ‘‘Broadcasting 

21 Board of Governors’’ and inserting ‘‘United States 

22 International Communications Agency’’; 

23 (7) in paragraph (3) of section 801 (22 U.S.C. 

24 1471), by striking ‘‘Director of the United States In25 formation Agency’’ and inserting ‘‘Chief Executive 


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1 Officer of the United States International Commu2 nications Agency’’; 

3 (8) in subsection (b) of section 802 (22 U.S.C. 

4 1472)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘Di6 rector of the United States Information Agency’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘Chief Executive Officer of the 

8 United States International Communications 

9 Agency’’; and 

10 (B) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking 

11 ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and insert12 ing ‘‘United States International Communica13 tions Agency’’; and 

14 (9) in paragraph (1) of section 804 (22 U.S.C. 

15 1474), by striking ‘‘Director of the United States In16 formation Agency’’ and inserting ‘‘Chief Executive 

17 Officer of the United States International Commu18 nications Agency’’; 

19 (10) in section 810(b) (22 U.S.C. 1475e(b))— 

20 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

21 by striking ‘‘United States Information Agency’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘United States International Com23 munications Agency’’; and 

24 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘Inter25 national Broadcasting Bureau’’ and inserting 


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1 ‘‘United States International Communications 

2 Agency’’; and 

3 (11) in subsection (a) of section 1011 (22 U.S.C. 

4 1442), by striking ‘‘Director of the United States In5 formation Agency’’ and inserting ‘‘Chief Executive 

6 Officer of the United States International Commu7 nications Agency’’. 

8 TITLE III—MISCELLANEOUS 

9 PROVISIONS 

10 SEC. 301. PRESERVATION OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL SE11 CURITY OBJECTIVES. 

12 The Chief Executive Officer of the United States Inter13 national Communications Agency and the Chief Executive 

14 Officer of the Freedom News Network shall each establish 

15 procedures to vet and monitor employees of each such agen16 cy for affiliations to terrorist organizations, foreign govern17 ments, or agents of foreign governments to protect against 

18 espionage, sabotage, foreign propaganda messaging, and 

19 other subversive activities that undermine United States 

20 national security objectives. 


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Union Calendar No. 407 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4490 

[Report No. 113–541] 

A BILL 

To enhance the missions, objectives, and effectivetions, and for other purposes. ness of United States international communicaJULY 18, 2014 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


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