Disclosure requirements for United States-based foreign media outlets

47 U.S.C. § 624

• Title: 47 — Telecommunications
• Chapter: SUBCHAPTER VI—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Text

(a) Reports by outlets to Commission
Not later than 60 days after August 13, 2018, 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 90 days after August 13, 2018, 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) Definitions
In this section:
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)).
The term "United States-based foreign media outlet" means an entity that—
(A) produces or distributes video programming (as defined in section 522 of this title) that is transmitted, or intended for transmission, by a multichannel video programming distributor (as defined in such section) 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)).

History

(June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title VII, §722, as added Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title X, §1085, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1991.)

Editorial Notes

Editorial Notes

References in Text
The Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, referred to in subsec. (d)(2)(B), is act June 8, 1938, ch. 327, 52 Stat. 631, which is classified generally to subchapter II (§611 et seq.) of chapter 11 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 611 of Title 22 and Tables.