[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2183 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.2183

                     One Hundred Thirteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday,
           the third day of January, two thousand and fourteen


                                 An Act


 
   United States international programming to Ukraine and neighboring 
                                regions.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS.
    (a) Congress finds and declares the following:
        (1) The Russian Government has deliberately blocked the 
    Ukrainian people's access to uncensored sources of information and 
    has provided alternative news and information that is both 
    inaccurate and inflammatory;
        (2) United States international programming exists to advance 
    the United States interests and values by presenting accurate and 
    comprehensive news and information, which is the foundation for 
    democratic governance;
        (3) The opinions and views of the Ukrainian people, especially 
    those people located in the eastern regions and Crimea, are not 
    being accurately represented in Russian dominated mass media;
        (4) Russian forces have seized more than five television 
    stations in Crimea and taken over transmissions, switching to a 24/
    7 Russian propaganda format; this increase in programming augments 
    the already robust pro-Russian programming to Ukraine;
        (5) United States international programming has the potential 
    to combat this anti-democratic propaganda.
    (b) Programming.--Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), 
Incorporated, and the Voice of America service to Ukraine and 
neighboring regions shall--
        (1) provide news and information that is accessible, credible, 
    and accurate;
        (2) emphasize investigative and analytical journalism to 
    highlight inconsistencies and misinformation provided by Russian or 
    pro-Russian media outlets;
        (3) prioritize programming to areas where access to uncensored 
    sources of information is limited or non-existent, especially 
    populations serviced by Russian supported media outlets;
        (4) increase the number of reporters and organizational 
    presence in eastern Ukraine, especially in Crimea;
        (5) promote democratic processes, respect for human rights, 
    freedom of the press, and territorial sovereignty; and
        (6) take necessary preparatory steps to continue and increase 
    programming and content that promotes democracy and government 
    transparency in Russia.
    (c) Programming Surge.--RFE/RL, Incorporated, and Voice of America 
programming to Ukraine and neighboring regions shall--
        (1) prioritize programming to eastern Ukraine, including 
    Crimea, and Moldova, and to ethnic and linguistic Russian 
    populations, as well as to Tatar minorities;
        (2) prioritize news and information that directly contributes 
    to the target audiences' understanding of political and economic 
    developments in Ukraine and Moldova, including countering 
    misinformation that may originate from other news outlets, 
    especially Russian supported news outlets;
        (3) provide programming content 24 hours a day, seven days a 
    week to target populations, using all available and effective 
    distribution outlets, including--
            (A) at least 8 weekly hours of total original television 
        and video content in Ukrainian, Russian, and Tatar languages, 
        not inclusive of live video streaming coverage of breaking 
        news, to be distributed on satellite, digital, and through 
        regional television affiliates by the Voice of America; and
            (B) at least 14 weekly hours the total audio content in 
        Ukrainian, Russian, and Tatar languages to be distributed on 
        satellite, digital, and through regional radio affiliates of 
        RFE/RL, Incorporated;
        (4) expand the use, audience, and audience engagement of mobile 
    news and multimedia platforms by RFE/RL, Incorporated, and the 
    Voice of America, including through Internet-based social 
    networking platforms; and
        (5) partner with private sector broadcasters and affiliates to 
    seek and start co-production for new, original content, when 
    possible, to increase distribution.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for fiscal year 2014, in addition to funds otherwise made 
available for such purposes, up to $10,000,000 to carry out programming 
in the Ukrainian, Balkan, Russian, and Tatar language services of RFE/
RL, Incorporated, and the Voice of America, for the purpose of 
bolstering existing United States programming to the people of Ukraine 
and neighboring regions, and increasing programming capacity and 
jamming circumvention technology to overcome any disruptions to 
service.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 15 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Broadcasting Board of Governors shall submit to the 
Committees on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives and the Committees on Foreign Relations and 
Appropriations of the Senate a detailed report on plans to increase 
broadcasts pursuant to subsections (a) and (b).

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.