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cal Year 1997 (Public Law 104–201; 110 Stat. 2623; 10
U.S.C. 111 note) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in the subsection caption, by inserting
‘‘AND AUDIOVISUAL SUPPORT SERVICES’’ after
‘‘TELECOMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT’’; and
(B) by inserting ‘‘and audiovisual support
services’’ after ‘‘provision of telecommunications
support’’; and
(2) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘and audio-
visual’’ after ‘‘other than telecommunications’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by sub-
section (a) shall take effect on October 1, 2005, and shall
apply with respect to the provision of audiovisual support
services by the White House Communications Agency in fis-
cal years beginning on or after that date.
SEC. 904. AMERICAN FORCES NETWORK.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate makes the following find-
ings:
(1) The mission of the American Forces Radio
and Television Service (AFRTS) and its American
Forces Network (AFN), a worldwide radio and tele-
vision broadcast network, is to deliver command in-
formation by providing United States military com-
manders overseas and at sea with a broadcast media
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that effectively communicates information to per-
sonnel under their commands, including information
from the Department of Defense, information from the
Armed Forces, and information unique to the theater
and localities in which such personnel are stationed
or deployed.
(2) The American Forces Radio and Television
Service and the American Forces Network provide a
‘‘touch of home’’ to members of the Armed Forces, ci-
vilian employees of the Department of Defense, and
their families stationed at bases and at embassies and
consulates in more than 179 countries, as well as
Navy, Coast Guard, and Military Sealift Command
ships at sea, by providing the same type and quality
of radio and television programming (including news,
information, sports, and entertainment) that would be
available in the continental United States. Addition-
ally, the American Forces Network plays an impor-
tant role in enabling military commanders to dis-
seminate official information to members of the
Armed Forces and their families, thus making popu-
larity and acceptance key factors in ensuring effective
communication.
(3) It is American Forces Radio and Television
Service and American Forces Network policy that, ex-
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cept for the Pentagon Channel service, programming
is acquired from distributors of the most popular tele-
vision program airing in the continental United
States. Much of the programming is provided at no
cost to the United States Government. The remainder
of the programming is provided at less-than-market
rates to cover distributors’ costs and obligations. De-
pending on the audience segment or demographic tar-
geted, programs that perform well are acquired and
scheduled to maximize audiences for internal and
command information exposure.
(4) American Forces Radio and Television Serv-
ice and American Forces Network select programming
that represents a cross-section of popular American
radio and television, tailored toward the worldwide
audience of the American Forces Radio and Tele-
vision Service and the American Forces Network.
Schedules emulate programming practices in the
United States, and programs are aired in accordance
with network broadcast standards. Specifically, policy
on programming seeks—
(A) to provide balance and diversity;
(B) to deliver a cross-section of popular
programming;
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(C) to target appropriate demographics;
and
(D) to maintain network broadcast stand-
ards.
(5) The ‘‘Voice Channel’’, or radio programming,
of the American Forces Radio and Television Service
and American Forces Network is chosen to address re-
quirements specified by the military broadcasting
services and the detachment commanders of their af-
filiate radio stations. American Forces Network Radio
makes a best faith effort to obtain the top-rated pro-
gram of its sort at the time of selection, at no cost
to the United States Government. American Forces
Network Radio usually retains a scheduled program
until it is no longer produced, too few American
Forces Network affiliates choose to schedule the pro-
gram locally, or a similar program so thoroughly
dominates its audience in the United States that the
American Forces Radio and Television Service
switches to this program to offer the higher rated
show to the overseas audience.
(6) American Forces Network Radio personnel
review the major trade publications to monitor an-
nouncements of new programs, follow the ratings of
established programs, and keep aware of program-