Title: Countering Foreign Propaganda Act of 2018
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Countering Foreign Propaganda Act of 2018
This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require a U.S.-based foreign media outlet to submit to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) a report every six months that contains: (1) the name of the outlet, and (2) a description of the outlet's relationship with its foreign principal, including the legal relationship and funding the outlet receives from the principal. The FCC must transmit a summary of such reports to Congress and make them publicly available.
The bill requires a U.S.-based foreign media outlet that produces or distributes any video programming for a foreign principal that is or intended to be transmitted by a multichannel video programming distributor (such as cable operators and direct satellite services) to U.S. consumers to include a conspicuous statement that the programming is produced or distributed by the outlet on behalf of its foreign principal. The FCC may define by rule what constitutes a "conspicuous statement."

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5354 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5354

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require United States-based 
   foreign media outlets to submit semiannual reports to the Federal 
           Communications Commission, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 20, 2018

  Mr. Moulton (for himself and Ms. Stefanik) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require United States-based 
   foreign media outlets to submit semiannual reports to the Federal 
           Communications Commission, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Countering Foreign Propaganda Act of 
2018''.

SEC. 2. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR UNITED STATES-BASED FOREIGN MEDIA 
              OUTLETS.

    Title VII of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 721. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR UNITED STATES-BASED FOREIGN 
              MEDIA OUTLETS.

    ``(a) Reports by Outlets to Commission.--Not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this section, and not less 
frequently than every 6 months thereafter, a United States-based 
foreign media outlet shall submit to the Commission a report that 
contains the following information:
            ``(1) The name of such outlet.
            ``(2) A description of the relationship of such outlet to 
        the foreign principal of such outlet, including a description 
        of the legal structure of such relationship and any funding 
        that such outlet receives from such principal.
    ``(b) Reports by Commission to Congress.--Not later than 60 days 
after the date of the enactment of this section, and not less 
frequently than every 6 months thereafter, the Commission shall 
transmit to Congress a report that summarizes the contents of the 
reports submitted by United States-based foreign media outlets under 
subsection (a) during the preceding 6-month period.
    ``(c) Public Availability.--The Commission shall make publicly 
available on the internet website of the Commission each report 
submitted by a United States-based foreign media outlet under 
subsection (a) not later than the earlier of--
            ``(1) the date that is 30 days after the outlet submits the 
        report to the Commission; or
            ``(2) the date on which the Commission transmits to 
        Congress under subsection (b) the report covering the 6-month 
        period during which the report of the outlet was submitted to 
        the Commission under subsection (a).
    ``(d) Statement Required To Be Included in Video Programming.--
            ``(1) In general.--It shall be unlawful for a United 
        States-based foreign media outlet to produce or distribute any 
        video programming for or in the interests of a foreign 
        principal of such outlet, if such programming is transmitted, 
        or intended for transmission, by a multichannel video 
        programming distributor to consumers in the United States, 
        without including in such programming a conspicuous statement 
        that the programming is produced or distributed by such outlet 
        on behalf of such foreign principal, and that additional 
        information is available in semiannual reports of such outlet 
        posted on the internet website of the Commission. The 
        Commission may by rule define what constitutes a conspicuous 
        statement for the purposes of this subsection.
            ``(2) Frequency.--In the case of video programming that is 
        longer than 60 minutes in duration, the statement required by 
        paragraph (1) shall be included at least once in each 60-minute 
        segment of programming.
    ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Foreign principal.--The term `foreign principal' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 1(b)(1) of the Foreign 
        Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 611(b)(1)).
            ``(2) Multichannel video programming distributor.--The term 
        `multichannel video programming distributor' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 602.
            ``(3) United states-based foreign media outlet.--The term 
        `United States-based foreign media outlet' means an entity 
        that--
                    ``(A) produces or distributes video programming 
                that is transmitted, or intended for transmission, by a 
                multichannel video programming distributor to consumers 
                in the United States; and
                    ``(B) would be an agent of a foreign principal (as 
                defined in paragraph (1)) for purposes of the Foreign 
                Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.) 
                but for section 1(d) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 611(d)).
            ``(4) Video programming.--The term `video programming' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 602.''.
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