[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 121 (Thursday, September 30, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10069-S10071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BIDEN:
  S. 2874. A bill to authorize appropriations for international 
broadcasting operations and capital improvements, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, today I introduce legislation to 
significantly expand our international broadcasting to the Muslim 
world.
  The United States currently broadcasts news and information in over 
60 languages to nations in every region of the world. Through both 
radio and TV, we tell America's story to the world--with news and 
information programming about not only U.S. Government policy, but life 
and culture in the United States. We also bring the world to overseas 
audiences, providing them local, regional and world news that they 
often may not receive, especially in closed societies. Such broadcasts 
have been an important foreign policy tool for six decades, since Voice 
of America broadcasts were initiated during the Second World War. 
During the Cold War, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty broadcasts 
behind the Iron Curtain were a literal information lifeline for 
millions trapped under Soviet misrule.
  Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Broadcasting Board of 
Governors, the Federal agency responsible for these broadcasts, has 
significantly expanded our outreach to the Muslim world. At the 
direction of Congress, it reestablished Radio Free Afghanistan 
broadcasts, which had been curtailed in the 1990s. It initiated a new 
Arabic-language service to the Middle East--Radio Sawa--featuring a new 
format of both music and news and information programming designed to 
reach younger audiences. It started a new Persian service, Radio Farda, 
broadcast to Iran. And it launched a satellite television station, 
Alhurra, which is transmitted across the Arab world in an effort to 
compete with other pan-Arab television outlets like Al Jazeera and Al 
Arabiya.
  We have seen dramatic results. In several cities in the Middle East, 
Radio Sawa is now the leading international broadcaster, and is 
competitive with local stations. A survey conducted in Morocco earlier 
this year shows that, in Casablanca and Rabat, Radio Sawa is the No. 1 
station among all listeners over age 15. Some 88 percent of people in 
those cities under the age of 30 listen weekly, and 64 percent of those

[[Page S10070]]

over age 30 do so. The listener audience is not as high in other 
countries--ranging from a low of 2 percent in Lebanon to 7 percent in 
Egypt to 42 percent in the UAE to 45 percent in Kuwait. But these data 
are phenomenal for international broadcasting, where you are doing well 
if you are attracting five percent of the audience weekly.
  Although Alhurra television programming has only been on the air for 
7 months, it is already attracting an important audience share. Recent 
data indicate that some 33 percent watch it weekly in Kuwait, 20 
percent watch it weekly in Saudi Arabia, and 19 percent watch it weekly 
in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. That's not as high as Al 
Jazeera and Al Arabiya, other pan-Arab satellite networks that are more 
dominant, but after 7 months, we are in the game.
  We can and should build on these successes, by expanding our 
broadcasting efforts to other nations with large Muslim populations--
from Southeast Asia to Central and South Asia to the African continent. 
The bill that I introduce today authorizes such an expansion, and would 
provide for new or expanded services, in both radio and television, to 
all of these regions. This would not involve a one-sized-fits-all 
approach, but a targeted effort based on analysis of each individual 
market.
  I do not want to imply that this will provide an immediate impact. It 
will be a significant challenge. It will require additional resources 
and personnel. It will require diplomatic efforts--to obtain permission 
for construction relay stations and to procure local broadcast 
licenses. But we cannot afford not to try.
  Around the globe, there are some 1.2 billion Muslims. Polling data 
indicate that favorable attitudes toward the United States and U.S. 
policy have declined considerably in the last few years. One report, 
prepared by the Pew organization in June 2003, stated that ``the bottom 
has fallen out of support for America in most of the Muslim world. 
Negative views of the U.S. among Muslims, which had been largely 
limited to countries in the Middle East, have spread to Muslim 
populations in Indonesia and Nigeria.'' The negative image of America 
is perhaps the natural result of our status as a global superpower. It 
also stems from disagreements in foreign nations with U.S. policy. But 
it is also the result of a failure to explain U.S. policy, and a 
failure to engage in a dialogue with foreign audiences.
  The negative opinion in the world about the United States and U.S. 
policy is a national security challenge of the fist order. We must deal 
with this simple fact: most foreign governments, even non-democratic 
ones, are constrained in their ability to support American policy if 
their own people oppose the United States and its policies. We must, 
therefore, greatly expand our efforts to engage foreign audiences, not 
in a one-way monologue, but in a dialogue. International broadcasting 
is just one means of conducting that dialogue. We have to explain who 
we are, what we stand for, and what our motives are. If we don't, we 
will have ceded the field to people who will misrepresent our policies 
or our motives.
  International broadcasting is one of several public diplomacy 
programs--such as international exchanges and information programs--
that have been underfunded and understaffed for too long. This 
legislation I introduce today only addresses international 
broadcasting. We should make similar investments in our other public 
diplomacy programs, and I will continue to work to ensure that we do 
so.
  The 9/11 Commission recognized the lack of adequate funding for these 
programs, and called on Congress and the administration to invest in 
them. Among other things, the Commission specifically recommended that 
we increase funding for international broadcasting:

       Recognizing that Arab and Muslim audiences rely on 
     satellite television and radio, the government has begun some 
     promising initiatives in television and radio broadcasting to 
     the Arab world, Iran, and Afghanistan. These efforts are 
     beginning to reach large audiences. The Broadcasting Board of 
     Governors has asked for much larger resources. It should get 
     them.

  The 9/11 Commission did not recommend a specific budget amount, or 
provide a detailed plan. This proposal does both. It is based on a 
thoroughly-researched plan. It provides significant resources--$222 
million in one-time costs, and annual costs of $345 million. This 
represents about a 60 percent increase over the current annual budget 
of $570 million for such broadcasting. Relative to other national 
security programs, I believe it is a bargain--and an investment that is 
well worth the price.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2874

       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 ``Initiative 911 Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Open communication of information and ideas among 
     peoples of the world contributes to international peace and 
     stability, and that the promotion of such communication is 
     important to the national security of the United States.
       (2) The United States needs to improve its communication of 
     information and ideas to people in foreign countries, 
     particularly in countries with significant Muslim 
     populations.
       (3) A significant expansion of United States international 
     broadcasting would provide a cost-effective means of 
     improving communication with countries with significant 
     Muslim populations by providing news, information, and 
     analysis, as well as cultural programming, through both radio 
     and television broadcasts.
       (4) The report of the National Commission on Terrorist 
     Attacks Upon the United States stated that, ``Recognizing 
     that Arab and Muslim audiences rely on satellite television 
     and radio, the government has begun some promising 
     initiatives in television and radio broadcasting to the Arab 
     world, Iran, and Afghanistan. These efforts are beginning to 
     reach large audiences. The Broadcasting Board of Governors 
     has asked for much larger resources. It should get them.''.

     SEC. 3. SPECIAL AUTHORITY FOR SURGE CAPACITY.

       The United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 
     (22 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following new section:

     ``SEC. 316. SPECIAL AUTHORITY FOR SURGE CAPACITY.

       ``(a) Emergency Authority.--
       ``(1) In general.--Whenever the President determines it to 
     be important to the national interests of the United States 
     and so certifies to the appropriate congressional committees, 
     the President, on such terms and conditions as the President 
     may determine, is authorized to direct any department, 
     agency, or other entity of the United States to furnish the 
     Broadcasting Board of Governors with such assistance as may 
     be necessary to provide international broadcasting activities 
     of the United States with a surge capacity to support United 
     States foreign policy objectives during a crisis abroad.
       ``(2) Supersedes existing law.--The authority of paragraph 
     (1) supersedes any other provision of law.
       ``(3) Surge capacity defined.--In this subsection, the term 
     `surge capacity' means the financial and technical resources 
     necessary to carry out broadcasting activities in a 
     geographical area during a crisis.
       ``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--
       ``(1) In general.--Effective October 1, 2004, there are 
     authorized to be appropriated to the President such amounts 
     as may be necessary for the President to carry out this 
     section, except that no such amount may be appropriated 
     which, when added to amounts previously appropriated for such 
     purpose but not yet obligated, would cause such amounts to 
     exceed $25,000,000.
       ``(2) Availability of funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant 
     to the authorization of appropriations in this subsection are 
     authorized to remain available until expended.
       ``(3) Designation of appropriations.--Amounts appropriated 
     pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in this 
     subsection may be referred to as the `United States 
     International Broadcasting Surge Capacity Fund'.''.

     SEC. 4. REPORT.

       In each annual report submitted under section 305(a)(9) of 
     the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 
     U.S.C. 6204(a)(9)) after the date of enactment of this Act, 
     the Broadcasting Board of Governors shall give special 
     attention to reporting on the activities carried out under 
     this Act.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) In General.--In addition to amounts otherwise available 
     for such purposes, the following amounts are authorized to be 
     appropriated to carry out United States Government 
     broadcasting activities under the United States Information 
     and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1431 et 
     seq.), the United States International Broadcasting Act of 
     1994 (22 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.), the Foreign Affairs Reform and 
     Restructuring Act of 1998 (as enacted in division of G of the

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     Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental 
     Appropriations Act, 1999; Public Law 107-277), and this Act, 
     and to carry out other authorities in law consistent with 
     such purposes:
       (1) International broadcasting operations.--For 
     ``International Broadcasting Operations'', $497,000,000 for 
     the fiscal year 2005.
       (2) Broadcasting capital improvements.--For ``Broadcasting 
     Capital Improvements'', $70,000,000 for the fiscal year 2005.
       (b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant 
     to the authorization of appropriations in this section are 
     authorized to remain available until expended.
                                 ______