London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

U.S. lawmakers want to boost oversight of foreign government broadcast sponsorship

U.S. lawmakers want to boost oversight of foreign government broadcast sponsorship

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday introduced legislation to strengthen the authority of the Federal Communications Commission to oversee foreign sponsorships of U.S. broadcast TV and radio programs.
Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn and Representative Anna Eshoo, a Democrat, proposed giving the FCC authority to compel broadcasters to check foreign media databases to better identify groups sponsoring programming.

"Foreign governments shouldn’t be able to hide behind shell companies to fund misinformation and propaganda on American airwaves," Schatz said.

Blackburn said foreign governments currently "can use shell companies to broadcast regime-funded propaganda across American airwaves. This legislation will protect consumer transparency by requiring the disclosure of foreign government-sponsored content."

In July, a U.S. appeals court struck down an FCC requirement that broadcasters check federal sources to verify sponsors' identities. The FCC rules finalized in April 2021 require foreign-government sponsorship disclosure at the time of a broadcast if a foreign governmental entity paid a radio or television station, directly or indirectly, to air material.

The bill would not prohibit foreign governments from sponsoring content on U.S. airwaves.

The court noted that the FCC had raised concerns "that the Chinese and Russian governments have been secretly leasing air time to broadcast propaganda on American radio."

The issue took on new urgency in the aftermath of Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel praised the effort in Congress to "increase transparency and ensure consumers know who is behind the information transmitted over public airwaves."

Earlier this month, the FCC issued a revised proposal to identify foreign governmental entities, including a certification process with standardized language for broadcasters to use in order to demonstrate appropriate inquiries have been made.

The National Association of Broadcasters challenged the 2021 FCC rule requiring independent checks, arguing it would result in "onerous requirements to ... conduct independent research on all the entities with whom broadcasters currently or will in the future have lease agreements."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
×