SEC. 104. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFI-
CER OF THE UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL 
COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be a Chief Executive Of-
ficer of the United States International Communications 
Agency, appointed by the Board of the Agency for a five- 
year term, renewable at the Board’s discretion, and subject 
to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing 
appointments, classification, and compensation. 
(b) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Chief Executive Officer 
shall be selected from among United States citizens with 
two or more of the following qualifications: 
(1) A distinguished career in managing a large 
organization or Federal agency. 
(2) Experience in the field of mass communica-
tions, print, or broadcast media. 
(3) Experience in foreign affairs or international 
relations. 
(4) Experience in directing United States public 
diplomacy programs. 
(c) TERMINATION AND TRANSFER.—Immediately upon 
appointment of the Chief Executive Officer under subsection 
(a), the Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau 
shall be terminated, and all of the responsibilities and au-
thorities of the Director shall be transferred to and assumed 
by the Chief Executive Officer. 
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(d) REMOVAL OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.—The 
Chief Executive Officer under subsection (a) may be re-
moved upon a two-thirds majority vote of the members of 
the Board of the United States International Communica-
tions Agency then serving. 
(e) COMPENSATION OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFI-
CER.—Any Chief Executive Officer of the United States 
International Communications Agency hired after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, shall be eligible to receive com-
pensation up to an annual rate of pay equivalent to level 
I of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, 
United States Code. 
SEC. 105. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF THE CHIEF EXECU-
TIVE 
OFFICER 
OF 
THE 
UNITED 
STATES 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY. 
(a) DUTIES.—The Chief Executive Officer under sec-
tion 104 shall direct operations of the United States Inter-
national Communications Agency and shall have the fol-
lowing non-delegable authorities, subject to the supervision 
of the Board of the United States International Commu-
nications Agency: 
(1) To supervise all Federal broadcasting activi-
ties conducted pursuant to title V of the United States 
Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 
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(22 U.S.C. 1461 et seq.) and the Voice of America as 
described in subtitle B of title I of this Act. 
(2) To make and ensure compliance with the 
terms and conditions of the grant agreement in ac-
cordance with section 110. 
(3) To review engineering activities to ensure 
that all broadcasting elements receive the highest 
quality and cost-effective delivery services. 
(4) To undertake such studies as may be nec-
essary to identify areas in which broadcasting activi-
ties under the authority of the United States Inter-
national Communications Agency could be made 
more efficient and economical. 
(5) To the extent considered necessary to carry 
out the functions of the Board, procure supplies, serv-
ices, and other personal property, as well as procure-
ment pursuant to section 1535 of title 31, United 
States Code (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Economy 
Act’’), of such goods and services from other Federal 
agencies for the Board as the Board determines are 
appropriate. 
(6) To appoint such staff personnel for the Board 
as the Board may determine to be necessary, subject 
to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, gov-
erning appointments in the competitive service, and 
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to fix their compensation in accordance with the pro-
visions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 
of such title relating to classification and General 
Schedule pay rates. 
(7) To obligate and expend, for official reception 
and representation expenses, such amounts as may be 
made available through appropriations Acts. 
(8) To make available in the annual reports re-
quired under section 103 information on funds ex-
pended on administrative and managerial services by 
the Board of the United States Communications 
Agency, and the steps the Board has taken to reduce 
unnecessary overhead costs for each of the broad-
casting services. 
(9) To provide for the use of United States Gov-
ernment broadcasting capacity to the Freedom News 
Network. 
(10)(A) To procure temporary and intermittent 
personal services to the same extent as is authorized 
by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, at rates 
not to exceed the daily equivalent of the rate provided 
for positions classified above grade GS-15 of the Gen-
eral Schedule under section 5108 of such title. 
(B) To allow those individuals providing such 
services, while away from their homes or their regular 
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places of business, travel expenses (including per diem 
in lieu of subsistence) as authorized by section 5703 
of title 5, United States Code, for persons in the Gov-
ernment service employed intermittently, while so em-
ployed. 
(11) To utilize the provisions of titles III, IV, V, 
VII, VIII, IX, and X of the United States Information 
and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 
1431 et seq.), and section 6 of Reorganization Plan 
Number 2 of 1977, as in effect on the day before the 
effective date of title XIII of the Foreign Affairs Agen-
cies Consolidation Act of 1998, to the extent the 
Board considers necessary to carry out the provisions 
and purposes of this Act. 
(12) To utilize the authorities of any other stat-
ute, reorganization plan, executive order, regulation, 
agreement, determination, or other official document 
or proceeding that had been available to the Director 
of the United States Information Agency, the Inter-
national Broadcasting Bureau, or the Board of the 
Broadcasting Board of Governors before the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
(13)(A) To provide for the payment of primary 
and secondary school expenses for dependents of per-
sonnel stationed in the Commonwealth of the North-
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ern Mariana Islands (CNMI) at a cost not to exceed 
expenses authorized by the Department of Defense for 
such schooling for dependents of members of the 
Armed Forces stationed in the Commonwealth, if the 
Board determines that schools available in the Com-
monwealth are unable to provide adequately for the 
education of the dependents of such personnel. 
(B) To provide transportation for dependents of 
such personnel between their places of residence and 
those schools for which expenses are provided under 
subparagraph (A), if the Board determines that such 
schools are not accessible by public means of transpor-
tation. 
(b) CONSULTATIONS.—The Chief Executive Officer of 
the United States International Communications Agency 
shall regularly consult with the Chief Executive Officer of 
the Freedom News Network and the Secretary of State as 
described in sections 108 and 109. 
SEC. 106. ROLE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE. 
To assist the Board of the United States International 
Communications Agency in carrying out its functions, the 
Secretary of State shall provide to the Board information 
in accordance with section 109(b), as well as guidance on 
United States foreign policy and public diplomacy prior-
ities, as the Secretary determines appropriate. 
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SEC. 107. ROLE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General of the De-
partment of State shall exercise the same authorities with 
respect to the United States International Communications 
Agency and the Freedom News Network as the Inspector 
General exercises with respect to the Department. 
(b) JOURNALIST INTEGRITY.—The Inspector General 
of the Department of State shall respect the journalistic in-
tegrity of all the broadcasters covered by this Act and may 
not evaluate the philosophical or political perspectives re-
flected in the content of the broadcasts of such broadcasters. 
SEC. 108. ENHANCED COORDINATION BETWEEN UNITED 
STATES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS 
AGENCY AND THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK; 
PROGRAM 
CONTENT 
SHARING; 
GRANTEE 
INDEPENDENCE. 
(a) MEETINGS.—The chair of the Board and Chief Ex-
ecutive Officer of the United States International Commu-
nications Agency shall meet at least on a quarterly basis 
with the chair and Chief Executive Officer, as identified 
in section 221, of the Freedom News Network to discuss mu-
tual issues of concern, including the following: 
(1) The strategic direction of their respective or-
ganizations, including target audiences. 
(2) Languages of information transmission. 
(3) Prioritization of funding allocations. 
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(4) Areas for greater collaboration. 
(5) Elimination of programming overlap. 
(6) Efficiencies that can be realized through best 
practices and lessons learned. 
(7) Sharing of program content. 
(b) INFORMATION SHARING.—The Chief Executive Of-
ficer of the United States International Broadcasting Agen-
cy and the Chief Executive Officer of the Freedom News Net-
work shall share all strategic planning documents, includ-
ing the following: 
(1) Results monitoring and evaluation. 
(2) Annual planning documents. 
(3) Audience surveys conducted. 
(4) Budget formulation documents. 
(c) PROGRAM CONTENT SHARING.—The United States 
International Communications Agency and the Freedom 
News Network shall make all original content available to 
each other through a shared platform in accordance with 
section 112(a)(3). 
(d) INDEPENDENCE OF FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK.— 
The United States International Communications Agency, 
while conducting management of the grant described in sec-
tion 110, shall avoid even the appearance of involvement 
in daily operations, decisions, and management of the Free-
dom News Network, and ensure that the distinctions be-
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tween the United States International Communications 
Agency and Freedom News Network remain in accordance 
with this Act. 
SEC. 109. ENHANCED COORDINATION AMONG THE UNITED 
STATES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS 
AGENCY, THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK, 
AND THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE; FREEDOM 
NEWS NETWORK INDEPENDENCE. 
(a) COORDINATION MEETINGS.—The Chief Executive 
Officer of the United States International Communications 
Agency and the Chief Executive Officer of the Freedom News 
Network shall meet, at least on a quarterly basis, with the 
Secretary of State to— 
(1) review and evaluate broadcast activities; 
(2) eliminate overlap of programming; and 
(3) determine long-term strategies for inter-
national broadcasting to ensure such strategies are in 
accordance with the broad foreign policy interests of 
the United States. 
(b) STRATEGIC PLANNING DOCUMENTS.—The Chief 
Executive Officer of the United States International Com-
munications Agency, the Chief Executive Officer of the Free-
dom News Network, and the Secretary of State shall share 
all relevant unclassified strategic planning documents pro-
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duced by the Agency, the Freedom News Network, and the 
Department of State. 
(c) FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK INDEPENDENCE.—The 
Department of State, while coordinating with the Freedom 
News Network in accordance with subsection (a), shall 
avoid even the appearance of involvement in the daily oper-
ations, decisions, and management of the Freedom News 
Network. 
SEC. 110. GRANTS TO THE FREEDOM NEWS NETWORK. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Chief Executive Officer of the 
United States International Communications Agency shall 
make grants to RFE/RL, Incorporated, Radio Free Asia, 
or the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Incorporated 
only after the Chief Executive Officer of the Agency and 
the Chief Executive Officer of Freedom News Network cer-
tify to the appropriate congressional committees that the 
headquarters of the Freedom News Network and its senior 
administrative and managerial staff are in a location 
which ensures economy, operational effectiveness, and ac-
countability, and the following conditions have been satis-
fied: 
(1) RFE/RL, Incorporated, Radio Free Asia, 
and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Incor-
porated have submitted to the Chief Executive Officer 
of the United States International Communications 
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