[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1019 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1019

           To promote the freedom of information in Vietnam.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 2003

Mr. Royce (for himself and Ms. Lofgren) introduced the following bill; 
     which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
           To promote the freedom of information in Vietnam.

    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 ``Freedom of Information in Vietnam 
Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Vietnam has failed to meet its obligations as a 
        signatory to the United Nations International Covenant on Civil 
        and Political Rights, which ensures that citizens of Vietnam 
        are free ``to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas 
        of all kinds''.
            (2) The Government of Vietnam continues to restrict all 
        forms of media.
            (3) The Government of Vietnam systematically jams 
        broadcasts by Radio Free Asia and blocks its Internet site.
            (4) Radio Free Asia is an independent broadcast service 
        funded by the United States in order to provide objective news 
        and information to the people of countries in Asia whose 
        governments deny the right to freedom of expression and of the 
        press.
            (5) Unrestricted access to news and information is a check 
        on repressive rule by Vietnam's authoritarian regime.
            (6) The Government of Vietnam is taking active measures to 
        keep its citizens from freely accessing the Internet and 
        obtaining international and domestic political, religious, and 
        economic news and information.

SEC. 3. RADIO FREE ASIA TRANSMISSIONS TO VIETNAM.

    (a) Policy of the United States.--It is the policy of the United 
States to take such measures as are necessary to overcome the jamming 
of Radio Free Asia by the Government of Vietnam.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) Broadcasting capital improvements.--In addition to such 
        sums as are otherwise authorized to be appropriated for 
        ``Broadcasting Capital Improvements'', there are authorized to 
        be appropriated for ``Broadcasting Capital Improvements'' 
        $10,000,000 for the fiscal year 2004 to carry out the policy 
        under subsection (a).
            (2) International broadcasting operations.--In addition to 
        such sums as are otherwise authorized to be appropriated for 
        ``International Broadcasting Operations'', there are authorized 
        to be appropriated for ``International Broadcasting 
        Operations'' $4,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004 and 
        2005 for surrogate radio broadcasting to Vietnam by Radio Free 
        Asia.

SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF PILOT PROJECT TO DEFEAT INTERNET JAMMING AND 
              CENSORSHIP BY THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT.

    (a) Establishment of Pilot Project.--There is established in the 
International Broadcasting Bureau a pilot project to develop and 
implement a strategy to combat State-sponsored Internet jamming and 
persecution of persons who use the Internet by the Government of 
Vietnam.
    (b) Authorized Activity.--Of the amounts authorized to be 
appropriated for the Broadcasting Board of Governors for the fiscal 
years 2004 and 2005, $1,700,000 for fiscal year 2004 and $1,600,000 for 
the fiscal year 2005 is authorized to be made available to counter the 
jamming of the Internet in Vietnam.
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