Countering Foreign Propaganda Act of 2018

Bill: 115-hr-5354
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]
Introduced: 2018-03-20
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies

Congressional oversight

Foreign and international corporations

Government studies and investigations

International exchange and broadcasting

Internet and video services

Internet, web applications, social media

U.S. and foreign investments
Latest action: action_date: 2018-03-23
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

Summaries:
action_date: 2018-03-20
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Countering Foreign Propaganda Act of 2018</strong></p> <p>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&nbsp;the outlet, and (2) a description of the outlet's&nbsp;relationship with its foreign principal, including the legal relationship and funding&nbsp;the outlet receives from the principal. The FCC must transmit a summary of such reports to Congress and make&nbsp;them publicly available.</p> <p>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)&nbsp;to U.S. consumers to include a conspicuous statement that the programming is produced or distributed by&nbsp;the outlet on behalf of&nbsp;its foreign principal. The FCC may define by rule what constitutes a "conspicuous statement."</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5354 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Countering Foreign Propaganda Act of 2018 . 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: 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. .