[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2856 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2856
To provide for the establishment of a new international television
service under the Broadcasting Board of Governors to replace Worldnet
and VOA-TV to ensure that international television broadcasts of the
United States Government effectively represent the United States and
its policies.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 12, 2000
Mr. Helms introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of a new international television
service under the Broadcasting Board of Governors to replace Worldnet
and VOA-TV to ensure that international television broadcasts of the
United States Government effectively represent the United States and
its policies.
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 ``International Television
Broadcasting Act of 2000''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Voice of America (VoA) is now implementing the
NewsNow format, which broadcasts news repetitively in a
continuous cycle.
(2) The NewsNow format forces most VoA coverage of American
thought and institutions, as required by the VoA Charter, to be
accommodated within that structured news cycle.
(3) The NewsNow format is insufficient to present fully the
policies of the United States as clearly and effectively as the
VoA Charter mandate anticipates.
(4) The implementation of the VoA Charter's mandate to
present United States policies has traditionally and
appropriately been fulfilled by airing editorials.
(5) Editorials offer the prudential and principled
rationales for United States policy to radio listeners and
television viewers and should not be marginalized in any VoA
programming format.
(6) The television program ``On the Line'' produced by the
VoA is an example of a suitable vehicle for fulfilling the VoA
Charter's mandate to present United States policies.
(7) Television is an increasing important form of United
States Government-sponsored broadcasting worldwide.
(8) The Broadcasting Board of Governors plans to complete
soon a merger of the Worldnet television broadcasting into VoA.
(9) Explicit treatment of American thought, institutions,
and policies needs to be sustained in United States Government-
sponsored television broadcasting.
SEC. 3. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to--
(1) require the establishment of a new international
television service under the Broadcasting Board of Governors to
replace Worldnet and VOA-TV; and
(2) ensure that international television broadcasts of the
United States effectively and accurately represent the United
States and its policies.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Board.--The term ``Board'' means the Broadcasting Board
of Governors.
(2) Bureau.--The term ``Bureau'' means the International
Broadcasting Bureau under the Board.
(3) Director.--Except as otherwise provided, the term
``Director'' means the Director of the Bureau.
(4) Television service.--The term ``Television Service''
means the International Television Service established under
section 5.
(5) VOA-TV.--The term ``VOA-TV'' means the television
operations of the Voice of America within the Bureau.
(6) Worldnet.--The term ``Worldnet'' means the WORLDNET
Television and Film Service within the Bureau.
SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION SERVICE.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Upon the effective date of this Act, there
is established within the Bureau the International Television
Service.
(2) Director of international television.--The Television
Service shall be headed by a Director of International
Television, who shall be appointed by the Director and who
shall report directly to the Director.
(b) Implementation Plan.--Sixty days after the effective date of
this Act, the Board shall submit a report to Congress setting forth the
Board's plans for the Television Service, including--
(1) a programming plan, or strategy, or both;
(2) a staffing plan to implement the Television Service;
(3) a budget; and
(4) a reporting relationship to the Board through the
Bureau.
(c) Termination of Programs.--Upon the effective date of this Act,
Worldnet and VOA-TV shall terminate.
(d) Prohibition.--Upon the effective date of this Act, no funds
available to the Board may be obligated or expended for Worldnet or
VOA-TV.
SEC. 6. BROADCASTING PRINCIPLES; PROGRAMMING.
(a) Broadcasting Principles.--
(1) In general.--The Television Service shall conduct all
programming activities in accordance with the broadcasting
principles expressed in paragraphs (1) through (3) of section
302(b) of the United States International Broadcasting Act of
1994 (22 U.S.C. 6202(b)).
(2) Allocation of resources.--The Director of International
Television shall give equal weight to the implementation of
each of those paragraphs in allocating budget, personnel, and
other resources, in determining program schedules, and in
undertaking affiliate and other placement efforts.
(b) Programming.--
(1) In general.--In addition to other programs carried by
the Television Service, the regular programming of the
Television Service shall consist of--
(A) those programs which were produced by the
Office of Policy of the Bureau before the date of
enactment of this Act and which are being carried as of
that date; and
(B) such additional programs relating to United
States policies as the Director of Policy of the
Bureau, in consultation with the Director of
International Television and the Director may develop.
(2) Frequency of programming.--The Director, in
consultation with the Director of Policy of the Bureau, shall
determine the frequency with which the programs described in
paragraph (1) shall be carried by the Television Service.
(3) Statutory construction.--Nothing in this subsection
prohibits the Director from--
(A) requiring that the programs described in
paragraph (1) shall also be carried by VOA Radio and
Internet; or
(B) determining the frequency of such programming.
SEC. 7. TRANSITION PROVISIONS.
(a) Transfers From VOA-TV and Worldnet.--Upon the effective date of
this Act, the personnel employed in connection with, and the assets,
liabilities, contracts, property, records, and unexpended balances of
appropriations, authorizations, allocations, and other funds employed,
used, held, arising from, available to, or to be made available in
connection with Worldnet and VOA-TV shall be transferred to the
Television Service.
(b) Savings Provision.--Until the effective date of this Act,
Worldnet shall continue to be funded at the same level as Worldnet was
funded during fiscal year 2001.
(c) References.--Any reference in any Federal law, Executive order,
rule, regulation, or delegation of authority, or any document of or
relating to Worldnet or VOA-TV before the effective date of this Act
shall, on and after such date, be deemed to refer to the Television
Service.
SEC. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The effective date of this Act is January 1, 2001.
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